Name: Red-breasted Merganser
Scientific name: Mergus serrator
Category: Birds
Nature Stars: 60
About: A medium-sized duck, part of a group known as 'sawbills' after their long narrow bills with saw-like 'teeth' for gripping fish. More likely to be found on the sea than Goosander.
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.
Where: Nests on lakes and rivers in the north and west of Britain. A more common winter visitor to coastal waters.
Natural Superpowers
Fantastic fact: Apart from the Goosander (known in North America as the Common Merganser), there are three other species of merganser: the Hooded Merganser nests in North America, the Scaly-sided Merganser is a rare bird of China, Japan and Korea, and the very rare Brazi
Photograph credit: tbc
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