At this time of year, the red-breasted merganser visits the pond near my home. Birds of this type are easy to miss, because they are smaller and shyer than wood ducks and mallards. They are sensitive to noises and movement, and tend to keep to the middle of the pond.
Still, their tufted heads make them conspicuous, as does the dramatic coloring of the mature male. The bird in the photographs above is either a female or an immature male.
According to blogger Rondeau Ric, the red-breasted merganser needs to eat 15 to 20 fish a day. It dives as many as 300 times daily, looking for food. The edges of its beak are serrated to grip its prey, giving the merganser its scientific name (Mergus serratus) as well as its nickname: the sawbill.
The red-breasted merganser doesn’t hang around Chicago long. It likes to live farther north in the warm months of the year. It winters farther south than most other ducks, too.
I took this photograph of a mature male merganser back in 2013.
For more on the merganser and other similar species, check out Cornell Ornithology’s website All About Birds.
sam dune says
Nice pictures of that type of duck. . . I am always doubtful reading what “an expert” says about birds’ feeding habits. For this duck to eat 15-20 fish a day! Hard to believe. How big are the fish, 1/2 inch, 3/4 inch, or one inch long? . . . Diving 300 times a day–that is what–14 dives an hour???? I’m gonna check out those facts on Wikepidia. . . . Anyway, I sure did enjoy this post!
Celia says
Bottom line, I too have tried to reason about birds–particularly about how some birds (including ones that are very small) can withstand extremely frigid temperatures. Some birds aren’t very fleshy, or perhaps they have an extremely high metabolism to power their flight. In either case, they have to spend a lot of time eating because they don’t store much long-term in their bodies. So to me it isn’t surprising that they have to spend a crazy amount of time procuring food every day.
According to the people at Cornell, the red-breasted merganser eats small fish (4-6 inches in length) but also tadpoles and minnows, which it is capable of “herding” and eating in quantity. It fishes about 5-6 hours a day. It also eats vegetation.
Thanks, Sam.
Celia