Red-breasted Merganser

General Description

The ragged-crested Red-breasted Merganser winters in Washington but breeds farther to the north. The adult male in breeding plumage has a reddish-brown mottled breast, white neck collar, green head, and red eyes. The serrate orange bill is very thin. The back is black and white, and the flanks are gray. The female has an overall gray body, reddish-brown head, and reddish eyes. There is no obvious white chin-patch as in the female Common Merganser. The juvenile is similar to the female but has a white bar across its face. Non-breeding adult males appear similar to females as well.

Red-breasted Merganser's are Common in Western Washington from November-May.

Habitat

Breeding habitat is in the tundra and boreal-forest zones. Breeding occurs on fresh, brackish, and saltwater wetlands and in sheltered bays. During migration and in winter, Red-breasted Mergansers occur mostly on salt water, in coastal bays, estuaries, and other protected coastal areas.

Behavior

Red-breasted Mergansers are typically found in small flocks, rather than huge rafts. They forage by diving and swimming under water, sometimes in cooperative groups, working schools of fish into shallow water.

Female

Male