How to Identify aRed-breasted Merganser
Mergus serrator · 20.1–25.2 in (51–64 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Dark green head with a wild spiky crest, white collar, rusty-streaked chest and gray sides.
Female
Dusty gray-brown with a rusty head whose colour fades gradually into the neck, and a shaggy crest.
Male photo: Needsmoreritalin / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Female photo: Chuck Homler d/b/a Focus On Wildlife / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Field marks
- Ragged spiky double crest
- Thin red saw-toothed bill
- Female’s rusty head blends into the gray neck with no sharp line
- Long low body riding deep in the water
Similar species
What it sounds like
Usually silent; a rasping croak near the nest.
Behaviour that gives it away
Hunts in coordinated groups, several birds driving fish into the shallows before diving on them together.
Habitat & range
Northern lakes and rivers in summer; coastal bays, estuaries and the Great Lakes in winter.
When you'll see it
Depending on where in northern, eastern and western North America you are, it is a winter visitor and a passage migrant, seen mainly in spring and autumn.
What it eats
Small fish caught in underwater pursuit, plus crustaceans.
Did you know?
One was clocked flying at over 80 mph, among the fastest level flight speeds recorded for any bird.
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