Female Common or Red-breasted Merganser? Eastern Ontario, Canada (1 Viewer)

[Gordon W]

Saw this merganser today on the Saint Lawrence Seaway in eastern Ontario, Canada. My first thought was a female common merganser, but now I'm not sure if it's a female Red-breasted Merganser. Any thoughts? It also looks like its upper mandible is broken. I've never seen that before.

 

[aeshna5]

Red-breasted. Upturned bill, lack of white on the throat, scruffier crest. It's a smaller bird.

 

[Butty]

Key and most obvious distinction is that common merganser has rufous of neck coming all the way down to lower neck and terminating in sharp horizontal division. In red-breasted merganser (as here) the division is fuzzy. Red-breasted merganser differs also in mucky-looking brownish-grey upperbody/wings (as here); pure grey in common merganser.

lack of white on the throat

Chin, rather than throat. The distinction is important, as this bird has lots of white on the throat. In my opinion.

 

[Gordon W]

Thank you both. Very informative. A red-breasted merganser is a lifer for me.

 

[gsimonel]

Is there something orange-red floating in the water behind her? It looks like her upper bill is half the length of her lower bill.

 

[wheatearlp]

Is there something orange-red floating in the water behind her? It looks like her upper bill is half the length of her lower bill.

Yes, upper mandible is broken

 

[gsimonel]

Ouch!