Red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator)

The red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator) is a diving duck, one of the sawbills

The adult red-breasted merganser is 51–62 cm (20–24 in) long with a 70–86 cm (28–34 in) wingspan. It has a spiky crest and long thin red bill with serrated edges. The male has a dark head with a green sheen, a white neck with a rusty breast, a black back, and white underparts. Adult females have a rusty head and a greyish body. The juvenile is like the female, but lacks the white collar and has a smaller white wing patch.

In the Danube Delta in winter time along the Black Sea coast.

photo: Mihai BACIU