Scaly-sided Merganser
Mergus squamatus Gould, 1864
49–64 cmLength78 cmWingspan1.2 kgWeight
It has a slender red bill, dark scaling on the flanks and a tufted crest at the rear of the head.
Busiest months: December · Most records: China, Japan, Thailand
How to identify
Field marks
- Bill red and rather slender
- Dark scaling on the flanks and rump
- A tufted crest at the rear of the head, longer in male
- Male has a black head and neck with a green metallic gloss, and a black back
Male, female and young
Male has a black head and neck with a green metallic gloss; female has a rufous head and neck, and gray back; immature resembles female, with less obvious crest and scaling.
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: December · Most records: China, Japan, Thailand
Scaly-sided Merganser has been recorded at 74 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 3 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
To protect this bird from disturbance, we don't list exact sites.
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The scaly-sided merganser or Chinese merganser (Mergus squamatus) is an endangered typical merganser (genus Mergus). It lives in Manchuria and extreme Southeast Siberia, breeding in the north and wintering in the south.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Scaly-sided Merganser?
The Scaly-sided Merganser is about 49–64 cm long, with a wingspan of 78 cm and weighs around 1.2 kg.
Where does the Scaly-sided Merganser live?
Its breeding range: Palearctic: eastern Siberia, Korean Peninsula and northeastern China. It is most often recorded in China, Japan and Thailand.
When is the best time to see the Scaly-sided Merganser?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in December (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Scaly-sided Merganser endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Scaly-sided Merganser as Endangered.
What does the Scaly-sided Merganser eat?
Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.
What family is the Scaly-sided Merganser in?
It belongs to the family Ducks, Geese, Swans (Anatidae), order Anseriformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 49–64 cm
- Wingspan
- 78 cm
- Weight
- 1.2 kg
- Habitat
- Wetland
- Diet
- Fish, shrimp & shellfish
- Lifestyle
- On the water surface
- Migration
- Migratory
- Conservation
- Endangered
More measurements
- Wing
- 256 mm
- Tail
- 99 mm
- Bill
- 60 mm
- Tarsus
- 44 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Palearctic: eastern Siberia, Korean Peninsula and northeastern China
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Ducks, Geese, Swans Anatidae
- Genus
- Mergus
Other birds in the genus Mergus
Brazilian MerganserMergus octosetaceus
Common MerganserMergus merganser
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
White-faced Whistling DuckDendrocygna viduata
Black-bellied Whistling DuckDendrocygna autumnalis
Spotted Whistling DuckDendrocygna guttata
West Indian Whistling DuckDendrocygna arborea
Fulvous Whistling DuckDendrocygna bicolor
Plumed Whistling DuckDendrocygna eytoni
Wandering Whistling DuckDendrocygna arcuata
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by BS Thurner Hof. ↗
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