Are Red-breasted Merganser rare?
Find This Bird The winter months are the best time to go looking for a Red-breasted Merganser, when they are fairly common along coastal waters in the United States and Mexico. Look for them in sheltered estuaries and bays swimming along in small groups or by themselves.
How can you tell if a merganser is red-breasted?
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.
What is the difference between a Goosander and an merganser?
Goosander: Compared with Red-breasted Merganser, has a neat division between the head and pale neck, a nice white throat and a substantial crest which makes the head look fuller. The bill is narrow with a thin base and the white throat patch of Goosander is lacking.
Where do red-breasted mergansers nest?
Red-breasted Mergansers nest along forested riverbanks, marsh edges, lakeshores, coastal islands, and sandy shores with vegetation. They are never far from water. Female Red-breasted Mergansers select a spot on the ground under dense cover from low tree branches, fallen logs, or boulders.
How big is a red-breasted merganser?
51–62 cm
Description. The adult red-breasted merganser is 51–62 cm (20–24 in) long with a 70–86 cm (28–34 in) wingspan. The red-breasted merganser weight ranges from 28.2 to 47.6 oz (800-1350 g). It has a spiky crest and long thin red bill with serrated edges.
Is red-breasted merganser good eating?
Mergansers don’t make the best table fare, which is why most hunters say they avoid them. But is that absolutely true? Probably not. I won’t argue that mergansers taste good, but if you clean them quickly, soak them in salted water, and grill them rare or use them in other dishes, they aren’t that awful.
How do you identify a merganser?
Adult males are crisply patterned with gleaming white bodies and dark, iridescent-green heads for most of the year. The back is black and the bill red. Females and immatures are gray-bodied with a white chest and rusty-cinnamon heads.
Is a goosander a common merganser?
Notes: – The Goosander or Common Merganser is a sea duck. It is an expert at diving for fish such as salmon and trout and has a sawbill to help grip the fish. Subfamily: Merginae, Genus: Mergus.
Do mergansers fly in formation?
Migrating flocks fly in V-formation or lines.
How many ducklings can a merganser have?
50 ducklings
He has seen merganser crèches of up to 50 ducklings, but says that with more than 70 babies following her sticking closely to her side, Mama Merganser has taken an unusually large brood under her wing. Brigit Katz is a freelance writer based in Toronto.
What does the word SMEW mean?
merganser
smew. / (smjuː) / noun. a merganser, Mergus albellus, of N Europe and Asia, having a male plumage of white with black markings.