Species Fact Profile: Scaly-Sided Merganser (Mergus squamatus)

Scaly-Sided (Chinese) Merganser

Mergus squamatus (Gould, 1864)

Range: Northeast Asia
Habitat: Forested Mountain Rivers, Lakes
Diet: Small Fish, Insects, Crustaceans
Social Grouping: Pairs, Small Flocks
Reproduction: Breed in late March or early April.  Monogamous, sometimes polygamous (breeding trios of one male and two females).  Nest in tree holes lined with down.  4-12 eggs incubated by the female for 31-35 days.  Ducklings fledge at 8 weeks old
Lifespan: 15-20 Years
Conservation Status: IUCN Endangered

• Body length 52-58 centimeters
• Males have a creamy white breast with a grey-black back, a glossy green-black head, and a shaggy crest on the nest.  Females have a buff-colored head with a wispier crest.  Legs and beaks are orange in both sexes.  The white feathers on the flanks of both sexes are edged in black, giving the scaly appearance alluded to in the name.  
• Beak is long, slender, and serrated, useful for grasping small, slippery fish
• Migratory, flying south to southern China in the winter; there are historical records as far south as Vietnam and Thaiand
• In decline due to habitat loss and hunting.  Also threatened by pollution, as well as entanglement in fishing nets
• Wild populations are being bolstered through the addition of artificial nest boxes