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Red-breasted Merganser female

©Amy Lewis

Red-breasted Merganser male

©Amy Lewis

Red-breasted merganser

Scientific name: Mergus serrator
The streamlined red-breasted merganser is a handsome bird and a great fisher - its long, serrated bill helps it to catch and hold its slippery fish prey. It is most commonly spotted around the coast in winter.

Species information

Statistics

Length: 50-60cm
Wingspan: 78cm
Weight: 1.1kg
Average lifespan: est. 9 years

Conservation status

Classified in the UK as Amber under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5: the Red List for Birds (2021).

When to see

July to March

About

The red-breasted merganser is a medium-sized duck and a member of a group called the 'sawbills' because of their long, narrow bills with saw-like 'teeth' which are good for gripping fish. A long, streamlined bird, it is perfectly shaped for swimming after fish. red-breasted mergansers are gregarious birds, forming flocks of hundreds in winter.

How to identify

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.

Distribution

Nests on lakes and rivers in the north and west of the UK. A common winter visitor to coastal waters.

Habitats

Did you know?

Apart from the goosander (known in North America as the 'common merganser'), there are three other extant forms of merganser: the hooded merganser which nests in North America; the scaly-sided merganser, which is a rare bird of China, Japan and Korea; and the Brazilian merganser, which is one of the most threatened wildfowl in the world with only 250 birds living in the wild.