Red-breasted Merganser

Mergus serrator

Audubon Illustration

John James Audubon, Birds of America (1827-1838). Public domain.

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About the Red-breasted Merganser

The red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator) is a duck species that is native to much of the temperate to subarctic Northern Hemisphere. The red breast that gives the species its common name is only displayed by males in breeding plumage. Individuals fly rapidly, and feed by diving from the surface to pursue aquatic animals underwater, using serrated bills to capture slippery fish. They migrate each year from breeding sites on lakes and rivers to their mostly coastal wintering areas, making them the most frequent species in the genus Mergus to frequent saltwater regularly. The worldwide population of this species is stable, though it is threatened in some areas by habitat loss and other factors.

Source: Wikipedia

Classification

Scientific name: Mergus serrator
Family: Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl
Order: Anseriformes

Similar species

Other members of the ducks, geese, and waterfowl family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.

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