Red-breasted Merganser Photo Gallery
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, 2018Female/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, 2020Breeding male
Note slender body, ragged crest, and narrow, straight bill.
© Benjamin Clock / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, February 19, 2012Not all videos have soundMale
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, 2016Female/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, 2017Male
Immature males look like messy breeding males.
© Jody Wells / Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, November 30, 2016Immature 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, 2018Courtship
Males dunk their chests and raise their heads and rears in a "curtsey" display for females.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryNew York, April 17, 2020Male
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, 2017Flock
Occurs in large flocks; in winter, more common in salt (or brackish) water than freshwater.
© Zachary Frieben / Macaulay LibraryMichigan, April 29, 2017Compare with Similar Species
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Species in This Family
Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl(Order: Anseriformes, Family: Anatidae)
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