Red-breasted Merganser

The Red-breasted Merganser, Mergus serrator is a typical merganser.

Adults have spiky crests and long thin red bills with serrated edges. Adult males have a dark head with a green sheen, a white neck with a rusty breast, a black back and a white bottom. Adult females have a rusty head and a greyish body.

Their breeding habitat is freshwater lakes and open areas on rivers across northern North America, Greenland, Europe and Asia. They nest in sheltered locations on the ground near water.

They are migratory and many winter in coastal waters further south.

In Europe, Scandinavian and Russian birds migrate southwards, but western European birds are largely resident.

These birds dive and swim underwater. They mainly eat small fish, but also aquatic insects, crustaceans and frogs.