Back

Red-breasted Merganser

  • Red-breasted Merganser Male
    Male

    Slim-profiled and long-bodied diving duck with a long, thin bill. Breeding males have a cinnamon chest, a white neck band, and a shaggy green head.

    © Ian Davies | Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, March 04, 2014
  • Red-breasted Merganser Female/immature male
    Female/immature male

    Slim, long-bodied diving duck with a long, thin bill. Female/nonbreeding males are brownish gray overall with brownish chin and dingy breast.

    © Saurabh Sawant | Macaulay LibraryMaharashtra, December 23, 2016
  • Breeding male

    Note slender body, ragged crest, and narrow, straight bill.

    © Benjamin Clock | Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, February 19, 2012Not all videos have sound
  • Red-breasted Merganser Male
    Male

    In flight, note thin neck, dark breast, and dark back. Tends to fly at an angle, with the head higher than the feet.

    © Davey Walters | Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, January 30, 2016
  • Red-breasted Merganser Female/immature male
    Female/immature male

    Slender diving duck with a thin neck and a long, thin bill. Female/nonbreeding males have a brownish head and neck and a dingy breast.

    © Noah Frade | Macaulay LibraryFlorida, February 19, 2017
  • Red-breasted Merganser Male
    Male

    Immature males look like messy breeding males.

    © Jody Wells | Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, November 30, 2016
  • Red-breasted Merganser Female/immature male
    Female/immature male

    Female/nonbreeding males have a brownish head with a shaggy crest. The color on the neck blends gradually into the chest without distinct white patches.

    © Alix d'Entremont | Macaulay LibraryNova Scotia, February 20, 2014
  • Red-breasted Merganser Breeding male
    Breeding male

    Large, slim, long-bodied duck with long, slender bill and ragged crest. Breast is smudged with reddish brown; back is dark.

    © Evan Lipton | Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, April 12, 2017
  • Red-breasted Merganser Courtship
    Courtship

    Males dunk their chests and raise their heads and rears in a "curtsey" display for females.

    © Sue Barth | Macaulay LibraryNew York, April 08, 2017
  • Red-breasted Merganser Flock
    Flock

    Occurs in large flocks; in winter, more common in salt (or brackish) water than freshwater.

    © Zachary Frieben | Macaulay LibraryMichigan, April 29, 2017