Red-breasted Mergansers are
in the order Anseriformes and family Anatidae grouped with ducks and swans.
Red-breasted Mergansers are 23inches (58cm) in size.
They are medium-sized with "saw-bills". They are also
dichromatic which means that males and females are
different in appearance. Male Red-breasted Mergansers
have greenish-black heads with white necks. They have a
reddish breast with dark streaks that are bordered on
both sides by a black-and-white patch. They have a black
back and a white belly with white secondary coverts.
Female Red-breasted Mergansers have a red-brown head
that is paler on the throat, but do not have a well
defined chin. Their red-brown head fades to a pale
breast. They have a gray and white breast and belly with
brown body plumage.
Red-breasted Mergansers
prefer habitats of tundra and boreal forests on fresh,
brackish and saltwater wetlands. They prefer sheltered
bays that are not far from the sea coast. They choose
their habitat based on the abundance of small fish.
Red-breasted Mergansers are found breeding in Alaska,
northern British Columbia, northern Alberta and all
eastern provinces of Canada. In the United States, they
are found breeding in northern Michigan, Minnesota,
Wisconsin and Maine. Red-breasted Mergansers can be
founding wintering along the Pacific Coast, Atlantic
Coast and in the Great Lakes.
Red-breasted Mergansers eat
small fish (10-15cm) and crustaceans. Some times they
will eat worms, insects and amphibians. They forage by
floating and then diving. They use their feet and/or
wings for propulsion. Red-breasted Mergansers are known
to forage in cooperative manner to drive fish into
shallow manner.
Red-breasted Mergansers have
a monogamous mating season and one brood per year. They
nest close together and can often be considered colonial
nesters. They do not breed until after their second
year. Females are in charge of building the nest which
is sheltered, usually under low vegetation. It is
usually within 25 feet of water. The female will lay 8-10
buff olive eggs that she will incubate for the 29-35 day
incubation period. The male will leave after
incubation begins.
The young are precocial which means
they are downy, mobile and able to find food. The female
will care for the young until they are ready to fledge
which occurs 59-64 days after hatching. Many times
several broods will combine and be cared for and
protected by one or
many females.
Red-breasted Mergansers are
commonly seen in Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and on the
Niagara River during the winter months.
