Mergus serrator
The Red-breasted Merganser (*Mergus serrator*) is a sleek, medium-sized diving duck easily distinguished by its shaggy crest and slender, serrated bill. Males in breeding plumage are striking, featuring an iridescent dark green head, a crisp white neck collar, a rusty-red breast, and finely vermiculated white flanks contrasting with a dark back. Females are more subdued, with a reddish-brown head, a less defined shaggy crest, and a grayish body. Adults typically measure 52-62 cm (20-24 in) in...
Primarily found in coastal marine environments such as bays, estuaries, and open ocean during winter, transitioning to large freshwater lakes and rivers with forested or rocky shorelines for breeding. Mostly at low elevations.
Consists mainly of small schooling fish (e.g., herring, sculpin, minnows), supplemented by crustaceans, aquatic insects, and marine worms. Foraging is primarily by diving and actively pursuing prey underwater.
Red-breasted Mergansers are diurnal, typically spending their days foraging and often congregating to roost on sheltered shorelines, sandbars, or rocky outcrops. They are expert pursuit divers, propelling themselves with their large webbed feet to catch fish underwater, often hunting in small gro...
The Red-breasted Merganser boasts a circumpolar distribution, breeding across the northern latitudes of North America, Europe, and Asia. In North America, its breeding range extends through Alaska, across Canada's boreal forests and tundra, and into northern parts of the contiguous United States,...
Least Concern
- The scientific name *Mergus serrator* directly translates to "diver with saw," a nod to its uniquely serrated bill perfectly adapted for grasping slippery fish. - They are exceptional divers, capable of submerging for up to a minute and reaching depths of over 20 feet to hunt their prey. - Red-...