Scientific name: Mergus serrator. Category: Birds. A resource for Birders, Twitchers and casual Bird Watchers. The male has a dark head with a green sheen, a white neck with a … The handsome Red-breasted Merganser is a welcome sight along coastlines during the winter. The male has a dark head with a green sheen, a white neck with a rusty breast, a black back, and white underparts. The red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator) is a diving duck, one of the sawbills. It breeds in the boreal forest on freshwater and saltwater wetlands. This sea-going duck is notable for its long, red, serrated bill, which gives it the species name serrator . Especially the male, when seen in its breeding plumage, with the punk rock looking crown feathers sticking straight up and being blown about in the breeze. [3] It has a spiky crest and long thin red bill with serrated edges. These ducks have oddly narrow bills with serrated or ridged edges. The streamlined red-breasted merganser is a handsome bird and a great fisher - its long, serrated bill helps it to catch and hold its slippery fish prey. The Merganser is actually a small group of ducks that researchers place in the taxonomic genus Mergus. The Merganser is actually a small group of ducks that researchers place in the taxonomic genus Mergus.These ducks have oddly narrow bills with serrated or ridged edges. Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. It breeds in the boreal forest on freshwater and saltwater wetlands. Looking a bit like, “a casual, unkempt teenager with a spiky ‘punk cut’ crest,” (Dunne, 2006), the male Red-breasted Merganser strikes a bold appearance when in its alternate, breeding plumage. here are four different species of these ducks, the Common, Brazilian, Red-breasted, and Scaly-sided Merganser. The red-breasted merganser is a medium-sized duck and a member of a group called the 'sawbills' because of their long, narrow bills with saw-like 'teeth' which are good for gripping fish. Thus, they are highly vulnerable to oiling and might suffer high losses in … The Common Merganser (North American) or Goosander (Eurasian) Mergus merganser is a large duck, of rivers and lakes of forested areas of Europe, northern and central Asia, and North America. The Red-breasted Merganser is one of the more colourful of the water birds. John James Audubon called this bird the Buff-breasted Merganser in his book "Birds of America". Unlike the Wood Duck or American Black Duck , it is a diver — as referenced in its genus name Mergus , or diver — able to stay beneath the water's surface for almost a minute while foraging as deep as 15 to 20 feet. One of these was the red-breasted nuthatch. It breeds in the boreal forest on freshwater and saltwater wetlands. The Red-breasted Merganser is a shaggy-headed diving duck also known as the "sawbill"; named for its thin bill with tiny serrations on it that it uses to keep hold of slippery fish. The streamlined red-breasted merganser is a handsome bird and a great fisher - its long, serrated bill helps it to catch and hold its slippery fish prey. The red-breasted merganser is a diving duck, one of the sawbills. A slim, crested, fish-eating duck, commonly seen around jetties and piers along the coast. Feeds mostly on small fish. What is the scientific name or taxonomic classification of the bird Red-breasted merganser? here are four different species of these ducks, the Common, Brazilian, Red-breasted, and Scaly-sided Merganser. ... How to identify: The Red-breasted Merganser is similar to Goosander, but with a thinner bill, grey sides, a reddish-brown breast and a longer, straggly crest.