Red-breasted merganser • Mergus serrator
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Left: Adult male red-breasted merganser photographed by Josh Silberg. Note the slicked-back crest jutting out from the back of the head. That feature, as well as the two black bars that cross the white wing patch (also visible here), distinguish the male of this species from the male common merganser. Right: female photographed by Mike Yip.
Identification
The red-breasted merganser is a large diving duck with an elongated body shape, a long and thin bright orange bill, and a distinctive crest jutting off the back of its head. Note that the prominence of this crest may lessen when it is slicked down by water. The male's dark green iridescent head contrasts strongly against a white neck, while the female's paler reddish-brown head gradually transitions into the light (or sometimes darker) grey of the neck and breast and the white belly. The female's greyish-brown back and wings are interrupted by a white wing patch. Unlike the female the male has a reddish breast, hence the species' common name. It also has a darker back and wings. On each wing there is a white wing patch cross by two dark bars. Immature red-breasted mergansers look like adult females, while eclipse males resemble females but maintain the male wing pattern.
Habitat & Range
The red-breasted merganser is found on the Central Coast in winter and during migration. During winter it is mostly found in bays, estuaries, and on open ocean along both east and west coasts of North America. During the summer breeding season it nests on the ground in wooded areas near lakes and rivers, as well as north into tundra. It can be found across much of the continent during migration; during this time it is particularly abundant on the Great Lakes.
Find more information at the British Columbia Breeding Bird Atlas here.
Similar Species
The male common merganser (Mergus merganser) has an all-white neck, breast, and belly, and lacks the head crest of the red-breasted merganser. Its white wing patch is only crossed by one bar. The reddish-brown head of the female common merganser — which bears a short crest -- transitions abruptly to a white neck and breast, unlike the gradual colour transition of the female red-breasted mergansers. The female common merganser also has a white chin patch.
The red-breasted merganser is a large diving duck with an elongated body shape, a long and thin bright orange bill, and a distinctive crest jutting off the back of its head. Note that the prominence of this crest may lessen when it is slicked down by water. The male's dark green iridescent head contrasts strongly against a white neck, while the female's paler reddish-brown head gradually transitions into the light (or sometimes darker) grey of the neck and breast and the white belly. The female's greyish-brown back and wings are interrupted by a white wing patch. Unlike the female the male has a reddish breast, hence the species' common name. It also has a darker back and wings. On each wing there is a white wing patch cross by two dark bars. Immature red-breasted mergansers look like adult females, while eclipse males resemble females but maintain the male wing pattern.
Habitat & Range
The red-breasted merganser is found on the Central Coast in winter and during migration. During winter it is mostly found in bays, estuaries, and on open ocean along both east and west coasts of North America. During the summer breeding season it nests on the ground in wooded areas near lakes and rivers, as well as north into tundra. It can be found across much of the continent during migration; during this time it is particularly abundant on the Great Lakes.
Find more information at the British Columbia Breeding Bird Atlas here.
Similar Species
The male common merganser (Mergus merganser) has an all-white neck, breast, and belly, and lacks the head crest of the red-breasted merganser. Its white wing patch is only crossed by one bar. The reddish-brown head of the female common merganser — which bears a short crest -- transitions abruptly to a white neck and breast, unlike the gradual colour transition of the female red-breasted mergansers. The female common merganser also has a white chin patch.
References
Dunn, J. L. and Alderfer, J. (Eds.). (2006). National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America. (5th Ed.). Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society. Pp. 46-47.
Red-breasted merganser Mergus serrator. Audubon Birds. National Audubon Society. Accessed 23/10/2015.
Red-breasted merganser Mergus serrator. The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online. Accessed 23/10/2015.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski
Dunn, J. L. and Alderfer, J. (Eds.). (2006). National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America. (5th Ed.). Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society. Pp. 46-47.
Red-breasted merganser Mergus serrator. Audubon Birds. National Audubon Society. Accessed 23/10/2015.
Red-breasted merganser Mergus serrator. The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online. Accessed 23/10/2015.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski
