email a friend
printable version
closeLC
Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator
IUCN Red List history
| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Least Concern |
| 2009 | Least Concern |
| 2008 | Least Concern |
| 2004 | Least Concern |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
Species attributes
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | Does not normally occur in forest |
| Land mass type | Average mass | - |
Distribution
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 4,090,000 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence non-breeding (km2) | 4,090,000 | medium |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Fragmentation | - |
Population & trend
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | poor | Estimated | 2009 | |
| Population trend | Stable | - | ||
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 7.3 | - | - | - |
| Population justification: The global population is estimated to number c.510,000-610,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2006). National population estimates include: c.100-10,000 breeding pairs and c.50-1,000 wintering individuals in China; <c.50 individuals on migration and <c.50 wintering individuals in Taiwan; c.50-10,000 wintering individuals in Korea and c.100,000-1 million breeding pairs and c.1,000-10,000 wintering individuals in Russia (Brazil 2009). | ||||
| Trend justification: The overall population trend is stable, although some populations have unknown trends (Wetlands International 2006). This species has had stable population trends over the last 40 years in North America (data from Breeding Bird Survey and/or Christmas Bird Count: Butcher and Niven 2007). | ||||
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Extinct | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Vagrant | No | |||
| Albania | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Algeria | Vagrant | No | |||
| Armenia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Austria | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Azerbaijan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Bahamas | Native | No | |||
| Bahrain | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Belarus | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Belgium | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Belize | Vagrant | No | |||
| Bermuda (to UK) | Native | No | |||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Native | No | |||
| Bulgaria | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Canada | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Cayman Islands (to UK) | Vagrant | No | |||
| China (mainland) | Native | No | |||
| Croatia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Cuba | Native | No | |||
| Cyprus | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Czech Republic | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Denmark | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Dominican Republic | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Egypt | Native | No | |||
| Estonia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Native | No | |||
| Finland | Native | No | Yes | ||
| France | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Germany | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Gibraltar (to UK) | Vagrant | No | |||
| Greece | Native | No | |||
| Greenland (to Denmark) | Native | No | |||
| Haiti | Vagrant | No | |||
| Hungary | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Iceland | Native | No | |||
| India | Vagrant | No | |||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Iraq | Native | No | |||
| Ireland | Native | No | |||
| Israel | Native | No | |||
| Italy | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Japan | Native | No | |||
| Jordan | Vagrant | No | |||
| Kazakhstan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Kuwait | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Kyrgyzstan | Native | No | |||
| Latvia | Native | No | |||
| Lebanon | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Libya | Native | No | |||
| Liechtenstein | Native | No | |||
| Lithuania | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Luxembourg | Vagrant | No | |||
| Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of | Native | No | |||
| Malta | Native | No | |||
| Mexico | Native | No | |||
| Moldova | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Mongolia | Vagrant | No | |||
| Montenegro | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Morocco | Native | No | |||
| Nepal | Vagrant | No | |||
| Netherlands | Native | No | |||
| North Korea | Native | No | |||
| Northern Mariana Islands (to USA) | Vagrant | No | |||
| Norway | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Oman | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Pakistan | Native | No | |||
| Palestinian Authority Territories | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Philippines | Unknown | No | |||
| Poland | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Portugal | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Puerto Rico (to USA) | Vagrant | No | |||
| Romania | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Russia (Asian) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Russia (Central Asian) | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Russia (European) | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Saudi Arabia | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Serbia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Slovakia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Slovenia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| South Korea | Native | No | |||
| Spain | Native | No | Yes | ||
| St Pierre and Miquelon (to France) | Native | No | |||
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway) | Vagrant | No | |||
| Sweden | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Switzerland | Native | No | |||
| Syria | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| Taiwan (China) | Native | No | |||
| Tunisia | Native | No | |||
| Turkey | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Turkmenistan | Native | No | |||
| Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) | Native | No | |||
| Ukraine | Native | No | Yes | ||
| United Arab Emirates | Vagrant | No | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom | Native | No | |||
| USA | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Uzbekistan | Native | No | |||
| Virgin Islands (to USA) | Vagrant | No |
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory | IBA Name | IBA link |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | Long Point Peninsula and Marshes |  |
| Canada | Point Pelee | |
| Denmark | Eastern part of Vejlerne | |
| Denmark | Hyllekrog-Rødsand and Fehmarn Belt | |
| Denmark | Smålandsfarvandet | |
| Denmark | Smålandsfarvandet (part of) | |
| Denmark | Sydfynske Ø-hav | |
| Denmark | Vestamager and adjacent sea area | |
| Finland | Kokkola and Kälviä archipelago | |
| Finland | Merenkurkku archipelago | |
| Finland | Oulu region wetlands | |
| Finland | Rahja archipelago | |
| France | Golfe du Morbihan et Etier de Penerf | |
| Greenland (to Denmark) | Ikkattoq fjord and islands | |
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | Gomishan marshes and Turkoman steppes | |
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | Miankaleh Peninsula and Gorgan Bay | |
| Latvia | Gulf of Riga, west coast | |
| Netherlands | Grevelingen | |
| Netherlands | Lake Veersemeer | |
| Norway | Ørland wetland system | |
| Norway | Froan | |
| Norway | Smøla archipelago | |
| Norway | Tanamunningen | |
| Poland | Pomeranian bay | |
| Russia (Asian) | Forty islands | |
| Russia (Asian) | Kunashir island | |
| Russia (Asian) | Kuril islands (between Urup and Paramushir) | |
| Russia (Asian) | Nevskoye lake | |
| Russia (Asian) | North-east Sakhalin lagoons | |
| Russia (Asian) | Tyk and Viakhtu bays | |
| Russia (Central Asian) | Basins of the Schuchya and Khadytayakha rivers | |
| Russia (Central Asian) | Dvuob'ye | |
| Russia (Central Asian) | Kuznetski Alatau | |
| Russia (Central Asian) | Lower Ob' | |
| Russia (Central Asian) | Upper and Middle Yuribey | |
| Russia (Central Asian) | Upper streams of Ob' river | |
| Russia (European) | Berezovye islands of Vyborg Bay | |
| Russia (European) | Kuloy river | |
| Sweden | Bay of Kungsbackafjorden | |
| Sweden | Outer Stockholm archipelago | |
| United Kingdom | Carlingford Lough | |
| United Kingdom | Moray Basin, Firths and Bays | |
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Estuaries | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Macroalgal/Kelp | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Seagrass (Submerged) | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy-Mud | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Lakes (over 8ha) | major | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls) | major | breeding |
| Altitude | 0 - 0 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Threats & impact
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Future | Whole (>90%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| |||||||||
Utilisation
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | International | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Food (human) | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Sport | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Mergus serrator. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2013.
This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Current IUCN Red List category | Least Concern |
| Family | Anatidae (Ducks, geese and swans) |
| Species name author | Linnaeus, 1758 |
| Population size | mature individuals |
| Population trend | Stable |
| Distribution size (breeding/resident) | 4,090,000 km2 |
| Country endemic? | No |
| Links to further information | |
| - Summary information on this species | |
|
|