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Smew

Smew

Mergellus albellus

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The Smew is a small, fish-eating diving duck, the only member of its genus and close to the mergansers. Males are strikingly black and white with a “panda” face and cracked-ice pattern, while females and young are grey with a chestnut cap and white cheeks. It breeds on taiga lakes across northern Eurasia, nesting in tree holes, and winters on lakes and sheltered coasts in Europe and Asia.

Did you know?

  • Its bill has a hooked tip with fine serrations for gripping slippery fish.
  • It sometimes hybridises with the Common Goldeneye, which uses the same nest holes.

About the species

Identification

A small merganser, slightly smaller than Goldeneye. The male is strikingly black and white: white overall, with a black patch around the eye, black lines on the nape and flanks and black back stripes. The female (“redhead”) has a chestnut crown and nape, white cheeks and a grey back; the bill is short and dark.

Family

Anatidae

Size

Large (crow)

Colours

white, black, grey

About the habitat

Breeds on fish-rich taiga lakes, ponds and slow rivers with old trees for nest holes; in winter ice-free lakes, rivers and sheltered coastal waters.

Diet

Mainly small fish such as roach and perch, as well as aquatic insects and other invertebrates, caught by diving and gripped with its hooked, serrated bill.

Behaviour

A shy, fast-diving duck that forages with repeated short dives, often in small flocks and sometimes with Goldeneyes. It nests in natural holes, old Black Woodpecker holes or nest boxes; the female incubates, and the ducklings leave the nest soon after hatching and fly at about 10 weeks. It is strongly migratory, moving to ice-free waters in winter.

Sources

Photo: Alpsdake, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Male of Mergellus albellus (male).jpg

Text: Wikipedia (English) + GBIF regional observations + Wikipedia (Danish) + FinBIF species descriptions, CC BY-SA 4.0; GBIF occurrence data; Wikipedia: CC BY-SA 4.0; FinBIF: CC BY 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smew

See also