redbreasted merganser (Mergus serrator)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONFIRMATION STATUS: Confirmed.

 

IDENTIFICATION:

• Length: 16 inches Wingspan: 33 inches

• Large, sleek diving duck

• Long, pointed bill with serrated edges

• Thin, red bill seems evenly tapered throughout length

• Shaggy crest obvious in both sexes

• Red eye

• White secondaries

• Immature similar to adult female

Adult male:

• Greenish-black head

• White neck

• Reddish breast with dark streaks, bordered on sides by black-and-              white patch

• Gray flanks, tail, rump and uppertail coverts

• Black back

• White belly

• White secondary coverts

• Alternate plumage worn from fall through early summer

• Male in basic eclipse plumage like adult female

Adult female:

• Red-brown head, paler on throat, but without well-defined chin

• Red-brown head fades evenly to paler breast

• Gray and white breast and belly

• Gray-brown body plumage

Similar species:

Adult male in alternate plumage is similar to male common merganser
but has reddish breast and gray flanks. Female, immature and eclipse
male distinguished from similarly-plumaged common mergansers by
lack of sharply-defined chin and lack of sharp contrast between reddish
head and white breast, and by darker gray plumage, spikier crest, and
slimmer bill. In winter, Red-breasted mergansers are more likely to be
found in saltwater habitats than are common mergansers.

 

LIFE HISTORY

Migration Status: N/A
Breeding Habitat: N/A
Nest Location: N/A
Nest Type: N/A
Clutch Size: 7-12
Length of Incubation: 30(29-35) days
Days to Fledge: 59(<65)
Number of Broods: 1
Diet: Mostly fish; lesser quantities of aquatic invertebrates

 

SKY MEADOWS DISTRIBUTION/SEASONAL OCCURRENCE

 

Relative abundance and seasonal occurrence are indicated in red below.

 

Relative abundance
     C - Common: Likely to be present in good numbers in appropriate habitat and season.
     U - Uncommon: May be present in appropriate habitat and season, often in low
            numbers.
     O - Occassional: Found in appropriate habitat perhaps only a few times per season,
            sometimes low numbers.
     R - Rare: May not be recorded every year.
     Acc - Accidental: Recorded once or twice, may not be expected again for a long time.

 

Seasonal Occurrence
      Sp - Spring: March, April, May R
      Su - Summer: June, July, August
      Fall: September, October, November

      Winter: December, January, February

 

 

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