Red-breasted merganser

Pair of red-breasted mergansers swimming on blue water, the male with a shaggy dark crest and white collar and the female with a rusty head, Manitoba

The red-breasted merganser is a slim, fish-eating duck with a thin red bill and a wispy, untidy crest. The male has a dark green head, a white collar, and a streaked rusty breast, while the female has a cinnamon head that fades gradually into a gray body.

Red-breasted mergansers nest on the ground, usually hidden beneath shrubs or among rocks near northern lakes and rivers. In Manitoba they are most often seen in migration, when they gather on larger lakes and open water in spring and fall.

The wild, shaggy crest on a red-breasted merganser gives it a permanent bad-hair-day look that I find hard to resist.

Curious about the red-breasted merganser and its habitat? Learn more on its page at All About Birds.

Field notes in photographs

  • Pair of red-breasted mergansers swimming on blue water, the male with a shaggy dark crest and white collar and the female with a rusty head, Manitoba
  • Red-breasted merganser photographed in Manitoba, 2
  • Red-breasted merganser photographed in Manitoba, 3

Red-breasted merganser Manitoba sightings

Where and when you can find the red-breasted merganser in Manitoba depends on the season and the habitat. You can see more species in the Manitoba birds section.

Map of Manitoba showing where the red-breasted merganser nests and migrates, with major cities and lakes
Where to look for the red-breasted merganser in Manitoba through the seasons: nesting in the Taiga Shield, the Hudson Plains, and the Southern Arctic (gold) and passing through the Boreal Shield, the Boreal Plains, and the Prairies in spring and fall (lilac). Habitat regions: National Ecological Framework for Canada. Boundaries: Statistics Canada. Lakes: Natural Earth.

Back to Manitoba bird photography, or see the portfolio.

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