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Red-breasted Merganser

Mergus serrator

Least Concern (IUCN Red List)Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl
Red-breasted Merganser, photographed by Channel City Camera Club from Santa Barbara, US

Photo: Channel City Camera Club from Santa Barbara, US · Wikimedia · CC-BY 2.0 (licence)

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Call and song

About the Red-breasted Merganser

Long-bodied duck with a thin bill and shaggy crest. Breeding males have a dark green head, brown breast, and gray sides. Females and immature males have a brown head and gray body. Bill is dull red. Separated from Common Merganser by thinner bill, shaggier crest, and slimmer shape overall. Dives to catch fish on large bodies of water, including freshwater lakes and coastal regions. Favors saltwater more than Common Merganser.

Species account: eBird.org, fetched 2025-12-26 · How these pages are made

Where it has been recorded

Recorded in 103 of the 253 countries we have eBird lists for. Each opens that country's checklist.

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