Mergellus albellus

Merganser maculata is Smew, no subspecies.

In spring, a large number of March-headed mergansers migrate north from their southern wintering grounds from mid-March to early April, while a small number migrate as late as early to mid-April. Autumn begins to move away from the breeding grounds in early to mid-September. From October to November, it gradually reached the wintering ground in the south, north and south of Northeast China. Migration often occurs in small groups of 20-30 individuals. There are also small groups of a few to more than 10 individuals, and few individuals are active.

Mergansers often live in groups except for breeding. Usually a group of 7-8 to more than 10, and sometimes as many as dozens of large groups. Especially during the migration season and winter. Males and females usually live in separate groups, with the female and young often inhabiting further south. I like to stay on the calm lake. Good at swimming and diving, almost all day on the lake activities. He often dives for food while swimming. When resting, they wander back and forth in the waters of the lake or river, or perch on the rocks and objects immersed in the water near the water, and rarely go ashore. When swimming, the neck is very straight, sometimes the head is submerged in the water, and frequently diving. Rest more wandering on the shore or perched on the beach by the water. The flight is fast and straight, the two wings move quickly, and the sound of wings is often clear. It takes off awkwardly, requiring a sharp flap of the wings and a run across the water to get up. It can also walk on the ground and is often seen in city parks and lakes.

Mergansers find food by diving. Daily, during the day to swim between rivers and lakes foraging activities, night perch in reeds or tree holes to rest. Foraging activities during the day. He often swims in the calm lake while diving frequently for food. The diving depth and the length of each dive are not as good as other mergansers, and the diving time is usually 15-20 seconds. Merganser ducks are omnivorous birds that eat small fish, crustaceans, shellfish, aquatic insects such as invertebrates such as silkworms, and occasionally eat a small amount of plant foods such as aquatic grasses, seeds, and leaves.

Mergansers usually breed in forest rivers, lakes and ponds where aquatic animals are present, especially in forest river lowlands and forest ponds where the flow rate is gentle. The formation of pairs is mostly in the late winter and spring migration, and the pair has been basically formed when they arrive at the breeding ground.

Merganser mergansers breed from February to May every year, and their marriage is polygamy. They lay 6-9 eggs each time, with pale yellow eggs. The incubation period is about 26-28 days. The chicks can migrate south with the group after living with their mothers for 3-4 months. Breeding season May to July. Nest in the forest river or lake old trees natural tree holes, generally nesting in the pine, oak and other trees on the top of the tree holes, sometimes also use black woodpecker holes. Each clutch lays 6-10 eggs, usually 8, occasionally as many as 11. The eggs are yellowish-white or white in color. The eggs are 47-58 x 34-41 mm in size, averaging 52 x 38 mm, and weigh 39 grams. The female incubates her eggs. The male stays close to the nest at the beginning of incubation, then leaves the female to molt alone. Incubation period is 28 days. The female's love nest is strong.

Marbled merganser duck beautiful appearance, swimming carefree, is a famous ornamental bird, the only defect is that artificial breeding is extremely difficult, but the survival rate of the chicks is very high, and easy to feed, meat smell, economic value is not high. Although the increasing destruction of wetlands has threatened the survival of this species, a 2002 survey indicated that there are an estimated 130,000-210,000 barbequed mergansers worldwide, which are not in danger of extinction. Marmoted merganser ducks used to be relatively common in winter in China, especially in areas north of the Yangtze River, where the population was quite abundant, but the population has been significantly reduced, and has become quite rare and uncommon, requiring more protection efforts. In January 2022, the "Panda duck" appeared in the Dujiangyan Water Conservancy project in Sichuan province, which was the first time that the "Panda duck" was photographed in Dujiangyan.

Listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 2012 Red List of Threatened Species ver 3.1 - Not Threatened (LC).

It is listed in the second level of the List of China's National Key Protected Wildlife.

Protect wild animals and eliminate wild meat.

Maintaining ecological balance is everyone's responsibility!

It is distributed in Afghanistan, Albania, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Turkey Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan.
Travellers: Algeria, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Iceland, Israel, Jordan, Libya, Malta, Burma, Palestine, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia.
During the breeding season, mergansers mainly live in forests or lakes, rivers, ponds and other waters near forests, but prefer lowland riparian forests. During the non-breeding season,

The male breeding feathers are white in head and neck, black around and before the eyes, forming a dark spot in the eye area. Both sides of the occipital are black, the center is white, and each feather is lengthened to form a crest. The back is black, and the anterior part of the upper back is white with black ends, forming two narrow semi-circular black bands descending to the thorax side. The primary and primary coverts are dark brown, the outer secondary feathers are black with white tip spots, followed by 2 or 3 inner secondary feathers are white or silver-gray, and the remaining secondary feathers are black gray. Large cover black with white tip spots. The small coverts are also black and the middle coverts white, forming a large and distinct white wing spot on the wings. The front of the shoulder is white, the back is dark brown; The waist and tail are covered with grayish-brown feathers, and the tail feathers are silver-gray. Lower body white, two sides, with grayish brown wavy