Red Breasted Merganser

The Red Breasted Merganser belongs to the branch of the Sawbill classification of diving ducks.

The Red Breasted Merganser lives in North America, Europe and Asia. Bird watchers see them on Iceland, along the coasts and lakes. You will also find Red Breasted Mergansers throughout the Arctic, including Canada, Europe and Siberia.

Their thin, red colored, long beaks with a serrated edge and a sharp hook is evenly tapered throughout its length. Mergansers have adapted to catching small fish and because of its serrated bill grip the fish easily.

Both the male and female birds have a shaggy crest. The immature Red Breasted Mergansers have coloring similar to the adult female.

The male Red Breasted Merganser has a cinnamon chest, a black and white spotted area at the side of its chest and a very common bird. As with many, this species of birds is named for the color of the breeding males. The breeding male has a dark, metallic green head with red beak and eyes, and a white stripe around the neck. Its flanks are pale grey while its back is black with the white edges of the wing showing when it is at rest. The chin, throat, and breast are a tawny in color, the flanks and back are greyish brown, and a white patch borde with black on the wings. After the breeding season, males return to a coloration similar to that of females, although they retain their wing patterns.

Adult female Red Breasted Mergansers have a cinnamon colored head with grayish brown body feathers. The colors on the female pale a bit from the her head toward her throat and then diminish in color evenly to her ivory colored chest.

Similar species: The adult male Red Breasted Merganser and the male Common Merganser in alternate plumage are similar in color. Scientists seem to believe the Red Breasted Merganser to be monogamous.

It nests on rivers, ponds, and lakes, preferably on small islands with shrubbery. The female builds her nest in a hidden place. She scrapes the ground and then lines it with plants, down, and feathers. Bird watchers find nests close together and the birds remain social, throughout the nesting season. Once incubation begins the male Red Breasted Merganser disappears and thereafter rarely seen at the nest.

They breed in lakes and small rivers across mainland Canada, throughout the forests affected by the north winds and north to the Arctic coast and the southern parts of the Baffin Island.

Go To Page: 1 2