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Birds

Birds

Common name Red-breasted merganser
Scientific name Mergus serrator
Type Seabirds
Status Wintering

Medium-sized sea duck (approx. 58 cm or 23 in), characterized by having a long and thin red bill. Males with a black or green head and a disheveled crest of feathers. White ring at the base of the neck. Breast of brown tones with specks and white spots on the side. Black back and white rest of the body. Females have greyish plumage in general, except for the head, which is brown. In flight, white specula (stripe of feathers of a striking colour present in the upper fringe of the wings) divided by a black stripe are observed.

Habitats

Wetlands

Where it lives

Nesting species in the north of Eurasia and Greenland. It prefers areas of tundra and mountainous taiga with lakes or near the littoral and spends the winter in marine areas near the coast.

How it lives

Occasional wintering bird in Malaga that also appears from time to time during its migratory passages. It breeds in mid-May. Nest on the ground or in cracks of cliffs always near the water. Laying of 8 to 10 eggs. Gregarious most of the year. This seabird feeds on fish caught while diving.

Where it can be seen in Malaga

Rare species in the province, although almost every year there is an observation of an isolated individual or small winter flocks at the Punta de Calaburras, the coast of Estepona, Benalmádena or the mouth of the Guadalhorce.

Curious facts

Its Latin name ("serrator") refers to its peculiar serrated bill, with which it can capture and hold the fish it feeds on. Its genus refers to its ability to submerge ("mergere"). Colloquially it is known in Spanish as "pato serrucho" ("saw duck").

Routes where it can be observed
Present
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Wintering Summer Resident Migration