Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

The Red-breasted Merganser is a duck that winters along U.S. coasts and on large inland lakes. Both sexes have tousled crests and slim red bills, and they dive to catch small fish.

Appearance

Appearance: Breeding males have a shaggy green head, narrow white neck band, and rusty chest. Females have a brown head, a gray body, and a similarly messy crest.

Look-alikes

Common MerganserMergus merganser

The female Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) has a cleaner edge between her reddish head and pale chest, plus a white patch under the bill. The female Red-breasted Merganser has a messier crest and a blurrier head-to-chest boundary.

Why they get mixed upFemales of both species have brown crests and narrow red bills.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: Coastal bays and
Large lakes
Range: In the United States, they spend winter along many coasts and on large inland lakes. They breed farther north in wetlands near .
Seasonal presence: A winter visitor along many U.S. coasts and large inland lakes; it also breeds in northern North America.

Behavior

Diet: They dive for small fish and sometimes take crustaceans or aquatic insects.
Activity: The narrow bill has tiny toothlike edges that help hold slippery fish.

Life cycle

Nest: Females make a ground nest hidden near water in northern wetlands.
Incubation: About 28–35 days

Conservation

IUCN Red List: LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction

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