Though the colouring on the head is the same on mergansers as it is on goosanders (green/black on the males and chestnut on the females), red-breasted mergansers have tufted feathers on their head. Males dunk their chests and raise their heads and rears in a "curtsey" display for females. Yuri Smityuk/TASS. BirdForum is the net's largest birding community, dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE! They also lay sole claim to the tundra along the southern and … Common merganser or Goosander , Anatidae. Thus, I suspect that the molt period presented by Pyle (2008) is too brief. Common Mergansers have thick, straight necks, while Red-breasted have thin, spindly necks. 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". Female. Common Mergansers, Mergus merganser, have a long slender appearance in flight. Males have white sides and a white breast whereas male Red-breasted Mergansers have gray sides and a cinnamon breast. The breeding range of the red-breasted merganser generally extends farther north and not as far south as the common merganser. However, the females, or redheads as they are more often called, can be much more difficult. The crests on Red-breasted Mergansers (Mergus serrator) always appear more wispy than the crests on Common Mergansers. Slim, long-bodied diving duck with a long, thin bill. Female/nonbreeding males have a brownish head with a shaggy crest. The similar-looking common merganser Mergus merganser female differs from the red-breasted merganser in that the white throat is well defined against the colored head. Common Merganser drake — Pinola Conservancy Their liking for salmon smolts makes them unpopular with fisheries, but where unmolested they can become bold and tame. Feeds mostly on small fish. Add to Likebox #161273102 - Common and red breasted merganser on the river in Wisconsin. It is one of the last to migrate south, and is more common than the red-breasted merganser on inland waters. He received one of three Judges' Choice prizes in the "Share the View" International Nature Photography contest in 2011 plus had second picture as one of the featured 250 runner ups. Common mergansers are found primarily in fresh water. Find the perfect Red Breasted Merganser stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Appearance: Male - The male Common Merganser has a black-greenish gloss head and neck, the long neck feathers make the head look larger, a white body with pink tinge, the back is glossy black with a grey tail, the wings largely white on the inner half and black on the outer half, a red thin but long hooked beak with red-orange legs and feet. Life History and Behavior. They nest east through the tundra of Labrador and northern Quebec to central Baffin Island. In flight, note thin neck, dark breast, and dark back. The female has an overall gray body, reddish-brown head, and reddish eyes. The adult Red-breasted Merganser is 52-58 cm long with a 67-82 cm wingspan. Red-breasted merganser in the Zolotoy Rog [Golden Horn] Bay waters. Common Mergansers living along rivers may spend hours resting on rocks or on shore. Red-breasted have long slender bills, are smaller, and both male and female have crests. Identifying the two large sawbills, Goosander and Red-breasted Merganser, can be pretty straight-forward when confronted with male birds. The female merganser is very similar to the female goosander, both are dove grey. Myer Bornstein has won 1st Place in the South Shore Massachusetts Daniel Webster Photo Contest, Best of Show in the Friends of the National Wildlife Refuges of Rhode Island 2011 Photo Contest, and was one of the twenty-four finalists in the 2011 Massachusetts Audubon Photo Contest. Identifying the two large sawbills, Goosander and Red-breasted Merganser, can be pretty straight-forward when confronted with male birds. #143598645 - A female common merganser floating in Fernan Lake in north Idaho. You can view my blog at http://photobee1.blogspot.com/ Large, slim, long-bodied duck with long, slender bill and ragged crest. They resemble a female Common Merganser but a Red-breasted Merganser’s brown head blends into the gray body. The Female Red-breasted Merganser has a brownish-grey body and a chestnut-brown head, her bill is red, thin and slightly upturned. P3. Common Merganser drakes might be confused with drake Red-breasted Mergansers but once you look closely at them both it becomes easier to identify which is which. Bill is dull red. This 'Mohican' is one of the best ways of distinguishing the two birds. UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. He was awarded first place in the “Chasing the Light” Juried competition, Flights of Fancy. Females and immature males have a brown head and gray body. Both males and females can be identified while in flight by the large white patch on the inner wing, white bellies, and their swift, almost mechanical-like wing beats. Slender diving duck with a thin neck and a long, thin bill. The first formal description of the common merganser was by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae.He introduced the current binomial name Mergus merganser. The handsome Red-breasted Merganser is a welcome sight along coastlines during the winter. Read our privacy policy for more info. Slim-profiled and long-bodied diving duck with a long, thin bill. © Jay McGowan | Macaulay Library New York, May 02, 2017. 1,300-2,100g (male); 900-1,700g (female) Population: UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually. Female common mergansers lay an average of 9-12 eggs. The juvenile is similar to the female but has a white bar across its face. Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats. Hi, He also is a volunteer naturalist and photographer for Allen Pond Massachusetts Audubon Sanctuary located in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Females are gray with a brown head. The bill has a more orange cast to it than the bills of the Common Mergansers and it is also thin and more slender. Find the perfect female common merganser stock photo. Although red-breasted mergansers breed over most of Alaska, including the Aleutian Islands, they are most abundant on areas adjacent to the Bering Sea. The males are striking with clean white bodies, dark green heads, and a slender, serrated red bill. Smaller than Red-breasted Mergansers with a shorter black bill. Winter Common Merganser Females Adult Common Merganser female in winter – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light Select from premium Red Breasted Merganser of the highest quality. Both birds are found in similar territories year round. In some parts of Europe, with artificial nesting sites provided, the species Average weight: M 3.64 lbs., F 2.73 lbs. of Photography. Both sexes of the Red-breasted Merganser … They tend to use saltwater, including estuaries and bays, more often than Common Merganser. Taxonomy. Separated from Common Merganser by thinner bill, shaggier crest, and slimmer shape overall. This species is larger than the red-breasted merganser, and is one of the largest of our ducks. Female/nonbreeding males have a brownish head and neck and a dingy breast. In fact, a one-year-old Hooded Merganser When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. They are also browner overall than Red-breasted Mergansers. My ex-wife had a hair style like this. The long thin bill, legs and feet are bright orange. The drakes show no white on the head. The British call this bird the "Goosander." Females are brown-gray with gray-washed, red-brown head, double crest and white breast and belly. He is now retired and photographs the natural beauty of Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island and other locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica. This was interesting and informative; Thank You! Female/nonbreeding males are brownish gray overall with brownish chin and dingy breast. Habitat: They occur on large ponds, reservoirs, and lakes. The Red-breasted Merganser is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. Common mergansers nest in tree cavities, nest boxes, cliff crevices, and on the ground, generally near clear-water rivers in forested regions and on mountainous terrain. This fish-eating duck is the typical merganser of freshwater lakes. In the winter, one of the problems of deciding whether or not the red breasted merganser that you are observing is a female or is it a first-winter male. Similar Images . Female Red-breasted Mergansers lack the rich coloration of males and have a duller red head with an orange or muted red bill. He’s has also been published both on line and in Nature Magazines and in Books. Average length: M 25.5", F 22.9 . We don’t spam! Female Red-breasted Mergansers-even at this angle the … During migration and on the wintering grounds, uses marine waters, lakes, and rivers. You are most welcome to register for an account, which allows you to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more. Breeding males have a cinnamon chest, a white neck band, and a shaggy green head. No need to register, buy now! The principal region of overlap is in southeastern and southern Canada. Notes: A female … Here’s a visual of the difference between the similar species of merganser; Red-Breasted vs. Common! I have seen many individual mergansers, particularly of Red-breasted Merganser, wearing female-like plumage late in spring (that is, after March) that are obviously first-year males (see below). There is no obvious white chin-patch as in the female Common Merganser. Tends to fly at an angle, with the head higher than the feet. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. Red-breasted Merganser: This medium-sized diving duck has black upperparts, gray sides, rust-brown breast, white belly, green head, double crests and neck, and white neck ring. Hooded Merganser. Females/nonbreeding males are smaller with a shorter bill than Red-breasted Mergansers. Description. But sometimes the Red-breasted Merganser […] Long-bodied duck with a thin bill and shaggy crest. During breeding season they have more distinctive markings. In the winter, one of the problems of deciding whether or not the red breasted merganser that you are observing is a female or is it a first-winter male. The serrate orange bill is very thin. They are also browner overall than Red-breasted Mergansers. Its flocks are usually small, but these may combine into big concentrations sometimes at large reservoirs. Breast is smudged with reddish brown; back is dark. After I researched the subject, the way to tell the first year-male from a female red-breasted merganser, is that the first-winter male red-breasted merganser as a black ring around its eye, while the female red-breasted merganser has whitish eye crescents. Recently he had the honor of having the first "50" point photograph in the Pro-Am tournament conducted by The Images for Conservation Fund in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Superficially this species is quite similar to the Common Merganser. Goosander or Merganser Sorry I am still confused about these birds, looked at some previous posts and would appreciate your help, both phots were taken at different places I think the first on is a Female Red Breasted Merganser and the second a Female Goosander with her chicks, they were so funny trying to clamber on her back. He teaches photography classes and instructs about Lightroom 4. I photograph the natural beauty of Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island and other locations Country and elsewhere. Females/nonbreeding males are smaller with a shorter bill than Red-breasted Mergansers. Females/immature Common Mergansers have a neat border between cinnamon throat and white breast; they also have a white patch on the chin that female/immature Red-breasted Mergansers lack. It has a spiky crest and long thin red bill with serrated edges. Red-breasted Merganser are also more likely to be found in saltwater habitats than Common and Hooded Mergansers. The genus name is a Latin word used by Pliny and other Roman authors to refer to an unspecified waterbird, and merganser is derived from mergus and anser, Latin for "goose". You’ll notice that the Red-Breasted has a thinner, longer, more dull red bill compared to the striking, thicker bill on the Common. Note that she lacks a defined white collar/throat on the neck like the very similar Female Goosander. Latin: Mergus merganser americanus . Breeds in the boreal forest on fresh, brackish, and saltwater wetlands, typically close to the coast. Discover hidden wildlife with our FREE newsletters, Neonicotinoid pesticides ‘damage brains of bees’. I also publish a blog about the area and other interesting vistas and locations. Myer Bornstein –Photo Bee 1 has been involved in photography for many years and studied photography at the New York Inst. The elegant gray-bodied females have rich, cinnamon heads with a short crest. Similar Images . Dives to catch fish on large bodies of water, including freshwater lakes and coastal regions. female common merganser (north american) or goosander (eurasian) (mergus merganser) - common merganser stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images ... Red-breasted merganser female swimming in winter, Germany. Common Mergansers are streamlined ducks that float gracefully down small rivers or shallow shorelines. CREATIVE. Breeding males have a dark green head, brown breast, and gray sides. Immature males look like messy breeding males. He also publishes a blog about his works natural history and includes, book and equipment reviews. Food: This diving duck consumes mostly fish. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account. ... Red-breasted merganser Where and when to see them Goosanders can be seen in the upland rivers of N England, Scotland and Wales in summer. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. The back is black and white, and the flanks are gray. He also placed another photograph in the 2012 contest. However, the Red-breasted Merganser nests farther north, winters mostly on salt water, and nests mainly on the ground, while the Common winters mostly on fresh water and nests in cavities. Note slender body, ragged crest, and narrow, straight bill. Commons have a clean white belly … ID Tips – Loons vs Mergansers Common Loons and Red-breasted Mergansers Common Loon and chick are beautiful waterfowl which many associate with the Northern Woods, as they typically breed on these fresh-water lakes. The color on the neck blends gradually into the chest without distinct white patches. ... common female merganser ducks in the pond (mergus merganser) - red breasted merganser stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images. There is also not a distinct white chin spot. Description Her eye is red and she has a small white wing patch. Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. Occurs in large flocks; in winter, more common in salt (or brackish) water than freshwater. Red-breasted Mergansers look similar to Common Mergansers, but there are a few key differences.