---
title: "Red-breasted Merganser"
description: "Mergus serrator — Birds. The red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator) is a duck species that is native to much of the temperate to subarctic Northern Hemisphere."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/red-breasted-merganser
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Red-breasted Merganser

> Mergus serrator — Birds. The red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator) is a duck species that is native to much of the temperate to subarctic Northern Hemisphere.

- Scientific name: *Mergus serrator*
- Category: `birds` (Birds)
- Habitats: `freshwater` (Lakes & rivers), `sea` (Sea & coast)
- iNaturalist observations: 58027
- Wikidata: [Q189609](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q189609)
- iNaturalist taxon: [6996](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/6996)

## Names

- en: Red-breasted Merganser
- de: Mittelsäger
- es: Mergo copetón
- fr: Harle huppé
- nl: Middelste zaagbek
- pt: Merganso-de-poupa
- pl: Szlachar

## Countries with the most observations

US (30608), CA (12365), RU (3270), GB (1104), NO (933), DE (698), IS (583), DK (542), FI (457), MX (386), JP (350), NL (342)

## Summary

The red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator) is a duck species that is native to much of the temperate to subarctic Northern Hemisphere. The red breast that gives the species its common name is only displayed by males in breeding plumage. Individuals fly rapidly, and feed by diving from the surface to pursue aquatic animals underwater, using serrated bills to capture slippery fish. They migrate each year from breeding sites on lakes and rivers to their mostly coastal wintering areas, making them the most frequent species in the genus Mergus to frequent saltwater regularly. The worldwide population of this species…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-breasted_merganser

## Photo

![Red-breasted Merganser](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/red-breasted-merganser/medium.jpg)

Photo: Steven Smethurst · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/70348022

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/red-breasted-merganser?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).