Saturday, January 3, 2015
Red-breasted Merganser
The Red-breasted Merganser (Scientific name - Mergus serrator) is a diving duck found in many parts of North America. They range as far north as the Arctic and as far south as Texas and the Baja Penninsula. They are slightly smaller than the Common Merganser and have a long ragged looking double crest. The males have a long orangish bill, dark head, white collar and reddish chest. The back is dark with white patches on the wings. In flight there are two noticeable dark wing bars. The female is mostly rusty brown and grey. Photos were taken in Saint John, New Brunswick in December 2014. Unfortunately I did not get any photos of the females.
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The flight picture shows his collar so well. I don't see the reddish chest..but the patches on the wings, the messy hair do crest and the bill I might remember. I'll go to the lagoon soon and see if I can meet any of these guys,
ReplyDeleteThanks Jeannette. From a distance the Common Merganser and the Red-breasted look similar, but the definite collar and the messy hairdo are distinctive for this one. Cheers,
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