font settings and languages

Font Size: Large | Normal | Small
Font Face: Verdana | Geneva | Georgia
Languages:

Mergus serrator

(Red-Breasted Goosander)

Common Names

[ Back to top ]

Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Dutch:

Middelste Zaagbek

Common Names in English:

Common Sawbill, Fish Duck, Fuzzyhead, Long Island Sheldrake, Pheasant, Red-Breasted Goosander, Red-Breasted Merganser, Red-Breasted Sheldrake, Saltwater Sheldrake, Saw-Bill, Sea Robin, Shelduck, Shellbird, Spring Sheldrake

Common Names in French:

Harle Huppè, Harle Huppé, Harle Hupp

Common Names in German:

Mittelsäger

Common Names in Hebrew:

מרגון בינוני

Common Names in Italian:

Smergo Minore

Common Names in Japanese:

ウミアイサ

Common Names in Russian:

Dlinnonosy Krokhal, Длинноносый крохаль, Крохаль длинноносый

Common Names in Spanish:

Mergo Copetón, Mergo Copetn, Serreta Mediana

Description

[ Back to top ]

Physical Description

Adult Female: Head : rusty brown Crest : rusty brown Face : Chin: white Bill: reddish Neck: rusty brown Foreneck: white Throat : white Body: Upperparts: grayish brown.Adult Male: Head: blackish with green gloss Face: Facial Skin : reddish Bill: red Shape : narrow, hooked and serrated Body: Breast: streaked chestnut brown to waterline Sides: vermiculated gray Upperparts: black Legs : Femorals: vermiculated gray Leg Color: reddish.

Color:

Adult male: Greenish-black head · White neck · Reddish breast with dark streaks, bordered on sides by black-and-white patch · Gray flanks, tail, rump and uppertail coverts · Black back · White belly · White secondary coverts · Alternate plumage worn from fall through early summer · Male in basic eclipse plumage like adult female

Adult female: Red-brown head, paler on throat , but without well-defined chin · Red-brown head fades evenly to paler breast · Gray and white breast and belly · Gray-brown body plumage

Size/Age/Growth

About 16 to 26 inches long, with a wingspan of 31 to 35 inches. Adults weigh about 40 ounces .

Habitat

Vegetation: freshwater marshes, coastal waters, freshwater lakes and ponds • Maximum Elevation: 1,500 meters • Sensitivity to Disturbancet: Medium

Biology

[ Back to top ]

Diet

Mostly: Fish. Lesser Quantities of: Aquatic Invertebrates .

Reproduction

Migration

Migratory

Taxonomy

[ Back to top ]

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 17-Oct-2001.

Similar Species

[ Back to top ]

Common Merganser

Members of the genus Mergus

There are approximately 15 species in this genus:

M. albellus (Smew) · M. albellus linnaeus · M. australis (Auckland Islands Merganser) · M. cucullatus (Hooded Merganser) · M. merganser (Common Merganser) · M. merganser americanus (Common Merganser) · M. merganser merganser · M. merganser orientalis · M. octosetaceus (Brazilian Merganser) · M. orientalis · M. serrator (Red-Breasted Merganser) · M. serrator linnaeus (Red-Breasted Goosander) · M. serrator schioleri (Red-Breasted Merganser) · M. serrator serrator (Red-Breasted Merganser) · M. squamatus (Scaly-Sided Merganser)

More Info

[ Back to top ]

Further Reading

[ Back to top ]

Notes

[ Back to top ]

Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 12, 2007:

Identifiers

Last Revised: 2009-06-19