Red-breasted merganser

Description:

A large diving duck with a spiky crest. The male has a dark head with a green sheen, a white neck with a rusty breast, a black back, and white underparts. These ducks have a thin reddish orange serrated bill. The back is black and white, and the flanks are gray. The eyes are reddish.

Habitat:

Spotted in the estuary waters of the Nisqually river at the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.

Notes:

Breeding populations in the North Pacific seem to have increased over the last ten years. Hunting is not a major source of mortality, but a number have been shot illegally due to their suspected impact on salmon and other commercial fish. The extent of their impact is not known, but it is not likely that they are causing significant salmon mortality.