Red-breasted Merganser Photo Gallery

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.

© Daniel Grossi | Macaulay LibraryOhio, March 22, 2018
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.

© Ethan Denton | Macaulay LibraryAlberta, December 18, 2020
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 Immature male
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.

© Daniel Grossi | Macaulay LibraryOhio, March 23, 2018
Red-breasted Merganser Courtship
Courtship

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

© Jay McGowan | Macaulay LibraryNew York, April 17, 2020
Red-breasted Merganser Female and chick
Female and chick

© Hans Norelius | Macaulay LibraryMøre og Romsdal, June 23, 2019
Red-breasted Merganser Male
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 Flock
Flock

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

© Zachary Frieben | Macaulay LibraryMichigan, April 29, 2017

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Species in This Family

Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl(Order: Anseriformes, Family: Anatidae)

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