Red-breasted Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Monterrey Bay, Monterrey, California, USA 
January 2018 
Member of the Ducks, Geese, and Swans Family 
§A Raft of Ducks§

{Etymology Corner} You might wonder what exactly a merganser is, if you're the type of person who reads this blog. Well, what separates this guy and his relatives from other ducks, for the most part, is that he is a hunter. He's got a saw-toothed bill, and dives for fish (Red-breasteds like to hunt at sea, other mergansers prefer rivers or lakes). But what does the name Merganser mean? Well, it comes from his Latin name, Mergus (no surprise there, when you see a nonsense word in a bird's name, it's probably from the latin). The fun part is that Mergus translates to 'unidentified water bird'. Really reaching for the stars with that ID.


~true bird fact~ May in fact be the fastest duck. Wikipedia states that the fastest recorded speed for a duck came from a Red-breasted Merganser, flying at 100 miles per hour. The speed was recorded as the duck was being pursued by an airplane. To me this just raises so many questions about what we're doing out there with these ducks. Did the Merganser commit a crime? Anyway, I don't feel confident in really calling it for the record, since who knows what many species would be capable of with a plane barreling after them. Still. an impressive feat. No word on whether the bird got away or not.

Owns a lot of obscure metal band t-shirts (doesn't play an instrument)
Definitely thinks hunting in the ocean rather than a lake makes him cooler and more legit
Gets a tattoo every year on his birthday