Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serrator
A typical feature is the ragged, backward-pointing double crest, obvious in both sexes. The male also has a rusty, speckled breast band below its white collar, which distinguishes it from the similar goosander.
- Group
- Waders & Waterbirds
- Photos
- 1
- Taken
- 2026
Profile: Red-breasted Merganser
- Family
- Ducks, geese and swans (Anatidae)
- Size
- approx. 52–58 cm
- Wingspan
- approx. 70–85 cm
- Weight
- approx. 0.8–1.3 kg
- Habitat
- Shallow coasts, bays and brackish waters; in the breeding season also clear lakes and rivers in northern Europe.
- Diet
- Mainly small fish, pursued underwater and gripped with its serrated bill, plus crustaceans and worms.
- When to see
- Resident in Germany, with a small breeding population on the Baltic. In winter it is joined by birds from northern Europe that winter on the North Sea and Baltic coasts or pass through.
Learn more: Wikipedia · NABU (German)