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A photo of a Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator), male
Red-breasted Merganser, Male

Red-breasted Merganser

Mergus serrator

The red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator) is a diving duck, one of the sawbills. The genus name is a Latin word used by Pliny and other Roman authors to refer to an unspecified waterbird, and serrator is a sawyer from Latin serra, "saw". It has a spiky crest and long thin red bill with serrated edges. The male has a dark head with a green sheen, a white neck with a rusty breast, a black back, and white underparts. Adult females have a rusty head and a grayish body. Juveniles look similar to females, but lack the white collar and have smaller white wing patches. The call of the female is a rasping prrak prrak, while the male gives a feeble hiccup-and-sneeze display call.
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Red-breasted Mergansers on Birda

Photos

Sightings

A map showing the sighting location
Profile picture for Naomi Jones
Naomi Jones
Wednesday 31 May 2023 - 11:10am
United Kingdom
A map showing the sighting location
🦩
Andrew Filby
Tuesday 30 May 2023 - 4:51pm
United Kingdom
A map showing the sighting location
🦜
Nigel Fleming
Tuesday 30 May 2023 - 2:25pm
United Kingdom
A map showing the sighting location
Profile picture for Andrew Baker
Andrew Baker
Monday 29 May 2023 - 4:17pm
United Kingdom
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