Red-breasted Merganser

A shaggy-crested, red-billed duck often seen on coastal water.

A recording has not been added yet. Use the identification notes below for now.

I know this bird · Record a sighting Where to look & how to find it ↓

FIELDCRAFT · FIND WITH CARE

Finding guide

Habitat first

Choose the season, find the habitat, then watch patiently. Search guidance is not a measure of rarity or conservation status.

When to go: All year; additional autumn and winter visitors
Where to start: Safe public harbour walls and coastal viewpoints.
What to do when you arrive: Scan sheltered coastal bays for diving ducks with slender red bills and shaggy crests. Compare head–neck transitions with Goosander rather than relying on the crest alone.

Habitat and behaviour reference: BirdWatch Ireland ↗ · The practical steps are editorial advice based on the references, not live sightings.

SPECIES NOTESSpecies notes

How to identify it

Thin red bill and shaggy crest. Males have a dark green head, white collar and rusty streaked breast; females' brown heads blend into grey necks. Finer-billed and lower-foreheaded than Goosander.

Habitat

Bays, harbours, coastal waters and offshore islands.

Behaviour

Pursues fish underwater, sometimes feeding cooperatively.

When to look

All year; additional autumn and winter visitors

Where to look

Safe public harbour walls and coastal viewpoints.

Reference photos do not show every sex, age, season or geographic form; use the identification notes too.

Further reading:BirdWatch Ireland ↗ · Wikipedia ↗

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