The red-breasted merganser is a medium-sized duck and a member of a group called the 'sawbills' because of their long, narrow bills with saw-like 'teeth' which are good for gripping fish. A long, streamlined bird, it is perfectly shaped for swimming after fish. red-breasted mergansers are gregarious birds, forming flocks of hundreds in winter.
How to identify
The red-breasted merganser is a white diving duck. It can be distinguished from the goosander by its thinner bill, grey sides, reddish-brown breast and crest of green feathers on its head.
Did you know?
Apart from the goosander (known in North America as the 'common merganser'), there are three other extant forms of merganser: the hooded merganser which nests in North America; the scaly-sided merganser, which is a rare bird of China, Japan and Korea; and the Brazilian merganser, which is one of the most threatened wildfowl in the world with only 250 birds living in the wild.
