Red-breasted Merganser

The red-breasted merganser is a slim diving duck 51–64 cm long with a shaggy double crest and a narrow red bill edged with saw-like projections for gripping fish. Breeding males have a dark green head, white neck collar, rusty mottled breast and grey body; females and eclipse males have a reddish-brown head and grey body. Its thin bill and untidy crest distinguish it from most other ducks (Wikipedia, general species account).

It breeds around northern lakes and rivers across the temperate and subarctic Northern Hemisphere, moving mainly to coastal bays and estuaries in winter; appearances as far south as Vietnam are exceptional. Birds dive from the surface and pursue fish underwater, also taking crustaceans and aquatic insects. Females place down-lined nests under cover or in cavities near water, laying seven to ten eggs and incubating them for about 29–35 days (Wikipedia, general species account).