Red-breasted Merganser – Mergus serrator
Length: 23″; Wingspan: 30″; Weight: 36.8 oz.
If you missed Friday’s “Who am I?” – here it is again: Two truths and a lie.
- I love to spend most of the year in the north ranging as far north as Alaska but I spend the winters along both the east and west coasts of the US and as far south as Mexico.
- I am a member of the duck family and my principal diet is fish.
- You most likely will find me in the winter around inland waterways such as ponds and rivers.
If you guessed the lie to be finding me in the winter around inland waterways (#3), you are correct. I prefer to be on the shore in the winter and am most likely to be spotted among piers and jetties.
The Red-Breasted Merganser has a distinct crest raked to the rear of his head. The male has a blackish head with a green gloss and a black crest. The male has a white ring band around the neck and a streaked chestnut breast to the waterline. The body is mostly gray with black upper-parts along the wings.
Continue reading “SIB “Bird of the Week” – Red-breasted Merganser”
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