MERGANSERS 
109 
Field Marks. The red back, black cap, or white face patch of the male can be recog- 
nized at long distance. The round, chunky body, the short thick neck, and the habit of 
carrying the tail spread star-like over the back are also characteristic. The general chunky 
outline is probably the best recognition mark for the female in life. 
Nesting. In reeds, over water. 
Distribution. Across the continent, scarce eastward. Breeding in the prairies and 
southern British Columbia northward. 
The Ruddy Duck is a unique little bird and does not seem very closely 
related to the other ducks. In the breeding season it is amusing to watch 
the male as he bustles importantly about his dull-coloured mate, cutting 
rippled circles on the water, bobbing and bowing, the erect, spread tail 
making him look still dumpier and shorter. 
“The Ruddy Duck is not regularly hunted anywhere in the west. It 
is seldom found in the shallow sloughs and as it is not given to making 
flights, it can usually be shot only on the water.” 
Subfamily — Merginae. Mergansers. Fish Ducks. Saw-bills 
General Description. Fish-eating ducks with a more cylindrical, tapering, and less 
spatulate or flattened bill than the other ducks (Figure 163, compare with 126, page 87). 
The cutting edges of the mandibles have a series of serrations giving rise to the popular 
name “Sawbill.” The nail on the tip of the bill forms a small but evident hook. The 
hind toe (Figure 164) is developed into a flat paddle or fin-shaped lobe similar to that of 
the Sea Ducks and quite different from the hind toe of the River Ducks (Compare with 
f igure 125, page 87). The males are brightly and strikingly coloured, mostly in black and 
white. The females are dull coloured, with reddish heads and necks. Most plumages 
have crests. In the females and most young birds, the crests, to the casual eye, are ragged, 
and without well-defined shape. 
Bill of Mergansers. 
Figure 164 
Foot of Merganser; scale, \. 
Distinctions. The saw-toothed bill easily distinguishes the Mergansers from the Sea 
Ducks which resemble them in the character of the hind toe. 
Field Marks. Typical Mergansers are long, slender ducks with long, slim bills. The 
slenderness of general build and the long-headedness are apparent both at rest and in 
flight. When flying, the bill, head, neck, and body are carried in a straight fine which 
gives a drawn-out appearance that is quite characteristic. Mergansers, except the Hooded, 
which is rather solitary, usually fly in long, single files or lengthened flocks approximating 
lines, rarely in irregular, indiscriminate bunches as do other ducks. They are seldom seen 
high in the air, but usually pass over the water low down and just above the surface. 
Scoters also have this habit, but are heavier in build and much blacker. 
Nesting. Mergansers in the breeding season are mostly river haunters, nesting either 
on the ground, among rocks, or in hollow trees. 
Distribution. A small family; most of its species inhabit the northern hemisphere. 
Mergansers feed upon fish and shell-fish captured under water by 
diving; for this method of feeding their hooked and serrated bills are 
admirably adapted. They are, during the breeding season, mostly fresh- 
water frequenters, though they visit the seas sometimes in large numbers. 
They are not very desirable as food, though some young autumn birds, 
properly cooked, are not to be altogether despised. 
76916—8 
