
Mergus serrator
HOW TO IDENTIFY:
* 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.
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