Mergus: Difference between revisions

Typical mergansers
	Red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Subfamily:	Anatinae
Genus:	Mergus; Linnaeus, 1758
Type species
	Mergus castor; Linnaeus, 1766
Species
	†Mergus australis Auckland Island merganser; Mergus merganser Common merganser; †Mergus milleneri Chatham merganser; Mergus octosetaceus Brazilian merganser; Mergus serrator Red-breasted merganser; Mergus squamatus Scaly-sided merganser

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Mergus is the genus of the typical mergansers (/mɜːrˈɡænsərz/ mur-GAN-sərz)^[2] fish-eating ducks in the subfamily Anatinae. The genus name is a Latin word used by Pliny the Elder and other Roman authors to refer to an unspecified waterbird.^[3]^[4]

The common merganser (Mergus merganser) and red-breasted merganser (M. serrator) have broad ranges in the northern hemisphere. The Brazilian merganser (M. octosetaceus) is a South American duck, and one of the six most threatened waterfowl in the world, with possibly fewer than 250 birds in the wild. The scaly-sided merganser or "Chinese merganser" (M. squamatus) is an endangered species. It lives in temperate East Asia, breeding in the north and wintering in the south.

The hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus, formerly known as Mergus cucullatus) is not of this genus but is closely related. The other "aberrant" merganser, the smew (Mergellus albellus), is phylogenetically closer to goldeneyes (Bucephala).

Although they are seaducks, most of the mergansers prefer riverine habitats, with only the red-breasted merganser being common at sea. These large fish-eaters typically have black-and-white, brown and/or green hues in their plumage, and most have somewhat shaggy crests. All have serrated edges to their long and thin bills that help them grip their prey. Along with the smew and hooded merganser, they are therefore often known as "sawbills". The goldeneyes, on the other hand, feed mainly on mollusks, and therefore have a more typical duck-bill.^[5]

Mergus ducks are also classified as "diving ducks" because they submerge completely in looking for food. In other traits, however, the genera Mergus, Lophodytes, Mergellus, and Bucephala are very similar: uniquely among all Anseriformes, they do not have notches at the hind margin of their sternum, but holes surrounded by bone.^[6]

Taxonomy

The genus Mergus was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae.^[7] The genus name is the Latin word for an unidentified waterbird mentioned by Pliny the Elder and other authors; some sources have identified the original mergus as referring to either a cormorant or Scopoli's shearwater.^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11] The type species was designated as the common merganser (Mergus merganser) by Thomas Campbell Eyton in 1838.^[12]^[13]

Recent species

The genus contains four living species and two recently extinct species.^[14]^[15]^[16]

Genus **Mergus** – Linnaeus, 1758 – two species
Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Common merganser Male Female	Mergus merganser Linnaeus, 1758 Three subspecies M. m. merganser – Linnaeus, 1758 M. m. orientalis – Gould, 1845 M. m. americanus – Cassin, 1852	Europe, northern and central Asia, and North America	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC
Brazilian merganser	Mergus octosetaceus Vieillot, 1817	Brazil	Size: Habitat: Diet:	CR
Red-breasted merganser Male Female	Mergus serrator Linnaeus, 1758	Northern North America, Greenland, Europe, and Asia	Size: Habitat: Diet:	LC
Scaly-sided merganser Male Female	Mergus squamatus Gould, 1864	East Asia	Size: Habitat: Diet:	EN

Image	Scientific name	Common name	Distribution
	†Mergus australis	Auckland Island merganser	Auckland Islands, New Zealand (extinct c. 1902). The species identity of merganser bones from mainland New Zealand - North, South, and Stewart Islands - is unresolved.^[17]
	†Mergus milleneri	Chatham Island merganser	Chatham Island, New Zealand. Extinct sometime after human settlement of the Chatham Islands,^[16] which began c. 1500.^[18]

Fossil species

Some fossil members of this genus have been described:

Mergus miscellus is known from the Middle Miocene Calvert Formation (Barstovian, c.14 million years ago) of Virginia, USA.
Mergus connectens lived in the Early Pleistocene about 2–1 million years ago, in Central and Eastern Europe.^[19]

The Early Oligocene booby "Sula" ronzoni was at first mistakenly believed to be a typical merganser.^[20] A Late Serravallian (13–12 million years ago) fossil sometimes attributed to Mergus, found in the Sajóvölgyi Formation of Mátraszőlős, Hungary, probably belongs to Mergellus.^[21] The affiliations of the mysterious "Anas" albae from the Messinian (c. 7–5 million years ago) of Hungary are undetermined; it was initially believed to be a typical merganser too.^[22]

References

^ "Anatidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
^ "merganser". The Chambers Dictionary (9th ed.). Chambers. 2003. ISBN 0-550-10105-5.
^ Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 251. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
^ Etymology: Latin mergus, a catch-all term for sea-going birds: Arnott, W.G. (1964). "Notes on Gavia and Mergvs in Latin Authors". Classical Quarterly. New Series. 14 (2): 249–262. doi:10.1017/S0009838800023806. JSTOR 637729. S2CID 170648873.
^ "Common Goldeneye". Seattle Audubon Society. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
^ Livezey, Bradley C. (1986). "A phylogenetic analysis of recent anseriform genera using morphological characters" (PDF). Auk. 103 (4): 737–754. doi:10.1093/auk/103.4.737.
^ Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii. p. 129.
^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 251. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
^ Arnott, W. G. (1964). "Notes on Gavia and Mergvs in Latin Authors [Notes on Gavia and Mergus in Latin Authors]". The Classical Quarterly. 14 (2): 249–262. doi:10.1017/S0009838800023806. ISSN 0009-8388. JSTOR 637729. S2CID 170648873.
^ White, Heather (2011). "Language and style in Ovid". Veleia (in Spanish) (28). doi:10.1387/veleia.6309 (inactive 1 November 2024). ISSN 2444-3565.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
^ "Ornithological Approaches to Greek Mythology: The Case of the Shearwater" (PDF). CAMWS.
^ Eyton, Thomas Campbell (1838). A Monograph on the Anatidae, or Duck Tribe. London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longman. p. 76.
^ Mayr, Ernst; Cottrell, G. William, eds. (1979). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 496.
^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2021). "Screamers, ducks, geese & swans". IOC World Bird List Version 11.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
^ "Auckland Island merganser | Miuweka | New Zealand Birds Online". www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
^ ^a ^b "Chatham Island merganser | New Zealand Birds Online". nzbirdsonline.org.nz. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
^ Miskelly, Colin & Forsdick, Natalie & Gill, Brian & Palma, Ricardo & Rawlence, Nicolas & Tennyson, Alan. (2022). CHECKLIST OF THE BIRDS OF NEW ZEALAND. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361824003_CHECKLIST_OF_THE_BIRDS_OF_NEW_ZEALAND
^ "Moriori | people | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
^ Mlíkovský, Jirí (2002a). "Early Pleistocene birds of Stránská skála, Czech Republic: 2. Absolon's cave" (PDF). Sylvia. 38: 19–28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-04-11. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
^ Mlíkovský (2002b): p. 264
^ Gál, Erika; Hír, János; Kessler, Eugén & Kókay, József (1998–99). "Középsõ-miocén õsmaradványok, a Mátraszõlõs, Rákóczi-kápolna alatti útbevágásból. I. A Mátraszõlõs 1. lelõhely [Middle Miocene fossils from the sections at the Rákóczi chapel at Mátraszőlős. Locality Mátraszõlõs I.]" (PDF). Folia Historico Naturalia Musei Matraensis (in Hungarian and English). 23: 33–78. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
^ Mlíkovský (2002b): p. 124

Bibliography

Mlíkovský, Jirí (2002b): Cenozoic Birds of the World, Part 1: Europe. Ninox Press, Prague.

[HM4-1] "Anatidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-08-05.

[2] "merganser". The Chambers Dictionary (9th ed.). Chambers. 2003. ISBN 0-550-10105-5.

[job90-3] Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 251. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.

[Arnott-4] Etymology: Latin mergus, a catch-all term for sea-going birds: Arnott, W.G. (1964). "Notes on Gavia and Mergvs in Latin Authors". Classical Quarterly. New Series. 14 (2): 249–262. doi:10.1017/S0009838800023806. JSTOR 637729. S2CID 170648873.

[5] "Common Goldeneye". Seattle Audubon Society. Retrieved 18 April 2014.

[Livezey-6] Livezey, Bradley C. (1986). "A phylogenetic analysis of recent anseriform genera using morphological characters" (PDF). Auk. 103 (4): 737–754. doi:10.1093/auk/103.4.737.

[7] Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae (Stockholm): Laurentii Salvii. p. 129.

[8] Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 251. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.

[9] Arnott, W. G. (1964). "Notes on Gavia and Mergvs in Latin Authors [Notes on Gavia and Mergus in Latin Authors]". The Classical Quarterly. 14 (2): 249–262. doi:10.1017/S0009838800023806. ISSN 0009-8388. JSTOR 637729. S2CID 170648873.

[10] White, Heather (2011). "Language and style in Ovid". Veleia (in Spanish) (28). doi:10.1387/veleia.6309 (inactive 1 November 2024). ISSN 2444-3565.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)

[11] "Ornithological Approaches to Greek Mythology: The Case of the Shearwater" (PDF). CAMWS.

[12] Eyton, Thomas Campbell (1838). A Monograph on the Anatidae, or Duck Tribe. London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longman. p. 76.

[13] Mayr, Ernst; Cottrell, G. William, eds. (1979). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 496.

[ioc-14] Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2021). "Screamers, ducks, geese & swans". IOC World Bird List Version 11.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 24 August 2021.

[15] "Auckland Island merganser | Miuweka | New Zealand Birds Online". www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz. Retrieved 2022-05-30.

[:0-16] "Chatham Island merganser | New Zealand Birds Online". nzbirdsonline.org.nz. Retrieved 2022-05-30.

[:02-17] Miskelly, Colin & Forsdick, Natalie & Gill, Brian & Palma, Ricardo & Rawlence, Nicolas & Tennyson, Alan. (2022). CHECKLIST OF THE BIRDS OF NEW ZEALAND. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361824003_CHECKLIST_OF_THE_BIRDS_OF_NEW_ZEALAND

[18] "Moriori | people | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-05-30.

[Mlikovsky2002a-19] Mlíkovský, Jirí (2002a). "Early Pleistocene birds of Stránská skála, Czech Republic: 2. Absolon's cave" (PDF). Sylvia. 38: 19–28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-04-11. Retrieved 2008-08-05.

[20] Mlíkovský (2002b): p. 264

[Gal-21] Gál, Erika; Hír, János; Kessler, Eugén & Kókay, József (1998–99). "Középsõ-miocén õsmaradványok, a Mátraszõlõs, Rákóczi-kápolna alatti útbevágásból. I. A Mátraszõlõs 1. lelõhely [Middle Miocene fossils from the sections at the Rákóczi chapel at Mátraszőlős. Locality Mátraszõlõs I.]" (PDF). Folia Historico Naturalia Musei Matraensis (in Hungarian and English). 23: 33–78. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2007-02-06.

[22] Mlíkovský (2002b): p. 124

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Genus of birds}}
-{{Taxobox
+{{Redirect|Merganser|the white merganser|Smew|other meanings|Merganser (disambiguation)}}
-| color = pink
+{{Italic title}}
+{{Automatic taxobox
 | name = Typical mergansers
-| image = RedBreastMerg23.jpg
+| image = Mergus serrator.jpg
+| image_caption = [[Red-breasted merganser]] (''Mergus serrator'')
-| image_width = 250px
+| taxon = Mergus
-| image_caption = [[Red-breasted Merganser]] (''Mergus serrator'')
+| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]
-| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
+| type_species = ''[[Red-breasted merganser|Mergus castor]]''<ref name=HM4>{{cite web |url= https://www.aviansystematics.org/4th-edition-checklist?viewfamilies=14 |title= Anatidae |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website= aviansystematics.org |publisher= The Trust for Avian Systematics |access-date= 2023-08-05}}</ref>
-| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
+| type_species_authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1766
-| classis = [[Aves]]
-| ordo = [[Anseriformes]]
-| familia = [[Anatidae]]
-| genus = '''''Mergus'''''
-| genus_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[1758]]
 | subdivision_ranks = Species
+| subdivision = {{dagger}}''[[New Zealand merganser|Mergus australis]]'' <small>Auckland Island merganser</small><br/>
-| subdivision =
+''[[Common merganser|Mergus merganser]]'' <small>Common merganser</small><br/>
-* ''M. australis''<br> (extinct)
+{{dagger}}''[[Mergus milleneri]]'' <small>Chatham merganser</small><br/>
-* ''M. merganser''<br>
-* ''M. octosetaceus''<br>
+''[[Brazilian merganser|Mergus octosetaceus]]'' <small>Brazilian merganser</small><br/>
+''[[Red-breasted merganser|Mergus serrator]]'' <small>Red-breasted merganser</small><br/>
-* ''M. serrator''<br>
+''[[Scaly-sided merganser|Mergus squamatus]]'' <small>Scaly-sided merganser</small>
-* ''M. squamatus''
 }}
-'''''Mergus''''' is a genus of [[duck]]s in the [[seaduck]] subfamily ''Merginae''. For an overview of the [[duck]], [[goose]] and [[swan]] [[family (biology)|family]] of [[bird]]s, see [[Anatidae]].
+'''''Mergus''''' is the [[genus]] of the '''typical mergansers''' ({{IPAc-en|m|ɜːr|ˈ|ɡ|æ|n|s|ər|z}} {{respell|mur|GAN|sərz}})<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Chambers Dictionary|publisher=Chambers|year=2003|isbn=0-550-10105-5|edition=9th|chapter=merganser}}</ref> fish-eating [[duck]]s in the subfamily [[Anatinae]]. The genus name is a Latin word used by [[Pliny the Elder]] and other [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] authors to refer to an unspecified waterbird.<ref name= job90>{{cite book | last= Jobling | first= James A | year= 2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | url= https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling | publisher = Christopher Helm | location = London | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4 |page =[https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling/page/251 251]}}</ref><ref name=Arnott/>
-Although they are seaducks, most of the mergansers prefer riverine habitats, only Red-breasted Merganser being common on the sea. These large fish-eaters have serrated edges to their bills to help them grip their prey. Along with the [[Smew]] and [[Hooded Merganser]], they are therefore often known as "sawbills".
+The [[common merganser]] (''Mergus merganser'') and [[red-breasted merganser]] (''M. serrator'') have broad ranges in the northern hemisphere. The [[Brazilian merganser]] (''M. octosetaceus'') is a South American duck, and one of the six most [[Threatened species|threatened]] [[waterfowl]] in the world, with possibly fewer than 250 birds in the wild. The [[scaly-sided merganser]] or "Chinese merganser" (''M. squamatus'') is an [[endangered]] species. It lives in [[temperate]] East Asia, breeding in the north and wintering in the south.
-==Species==
-* [[Auckland Islands Merganser]], ''Mergus australis'' [[Extinction|extinct]]
-* [[Common Merganser]],  ''Mergus merganser''
-* [[Brazilian Merganser]], ''Mergus octosetaceus''
-* [[Red-breasted Merganser]], ''Mergus serrator''
-* [[Chinese Merganser]], ''Mergus squamatus''
+The [[hooded merganser]] (''Lophodytes cucullatus'', formerly known as ''Mergus cucullatus'') is not of this genus but is closely related. The other "aberrant" merganser, the [[smew]] (''Mergellus albellus''), is [[phylogenetics|phylogenetically]] closer to [[goldeneye (duck)|goldeneye]]s (''Bucephala'').
-[[Category:Anatidae]]
+Although they are [[Mergini|seaducks]], most of the mergansers prefer riverine habitats, with only the red-breasted merganser being common at sea. These large [[piscivore|fish-eaters]] typically have black-and-white, brown and/or green hues in their plumage, and most have somewhat shaggy crests. All have serrated edges to their long and thin bills that help them grip their prey. Along with the smew and hooded merganser, they are therefore often known as "sawbills". The goldeneyes, on the other hand, feed mainly on [[mollusk]]s, and therefore have a more typical duck-bill.<ref>{{cite web|title=Common Goldeneye|url=http://www.birdweb.org/birdweb/bird/common_goldeneye|publisher=Seattle Audubon Society|access-date=18 April 2014}}</ref>
-[[bg:Нирци]]
-[[de:Säger]]
+''Mergus'' ducks are also classified as "diving ducks" because they submerge completely in looking for food. In other traits, however, the genera ''Mergus'', ''Lophodytes'', ''Mergellus'', and ''Bucephala'' are very similar: uniquely among all [[Anseriformes]], they do not have notches at the hind margin of their [[sternum]], but holes surrounded by bone.<ref name=Livezey/>
-[[et:Koskel]]
-[[fr:Mergus]]
+==Taxonomy==
-[[fy:Seachbekken]]
+The [[genus]] ''Mergus'' was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist [[Carl Linnaeus]] in the [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|tenth edition]] of his ''[[Systema Naturae]]''.<ref>{{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=Carl | author-link=Carl Linnaeus | year=1758 | title= Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | volume=1 | edition=10th | page=129 | publisher=Laurentii Salvii | location=Holmiae (Stockholm) | language=Latin | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/727034 }}</ref> The genus name is the [[Latin]] word for an unidentified waterbird mentioned by [[Pliny the Elder]] and other authors; some sources have identified the original ''mergus'' as referring to either a [[cormorant]] or [[Scopoli's shearwater]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Jobling | first=James A. | year=2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | publisher=Christopher Helm | location=London | isbn= 978-1-4081-2501-4 | page=251 | url=https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n251/mode/1up }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Arnott |first=W. G. |date=1964 |title=Notes on Gavia and Mergvs in Latin Authors [Notes on Gavia and Mergus in Latin Authors] |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/637729 |journal=The Classical Quarterly |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=249–262 |doi=10.1017/S0009838800023806 |jstor=637729 |s2cid=170648873 |issn=0009-8388}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=White |first=Heather |date=2011 |title=Language and style in Ovid |url=https://ojs.ehu.eus/index.php/Veleia/article/view/6309 |journal=Veleia |language=es |issue=28 |doi=10.1387/veleia.6309 |doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 |issn=2444-3565}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ornithological Approaches to Greek Mythology: The Case of the Shearwater |url=https://camws.org/sites/default/files/meeting2018/abstracts/029.OrnithologicalApproachestoGreekMythology.pdf |website=CAMWS}}</ref> The [[type species]] was designated as the [[common merganser]] (''Mergus merganser'') by [[Thomas Campbell Eyton]] in 1838.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Eyton | first=Thomas Campbell | author-link=Thomas Campbell Eyton | date=1838 | title=A Monograph on the Anatidae, or Duck Tribe | location=London | publisher=Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longman | page=76 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/36002202 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite book | editor1-last=Mayr | editor1-first=Ernst | editor1-link=Ernst Mayr | editor2-last=Cottrell | editor2-first=G. William | year=1979 | title=Check-List of Birds of the World | volume=1 | edition=2nd | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | page=496 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16109136 }}</ref>
-[[ka:ბატასინი]]
-[[lt:Dančiasnapiai]]
+===Recent species===
-[[sv:Skrakar]]
+The genus contains four living species and two [[Holocene extinction|recently extinct]] species.<ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date=July 2021 | title=Screamers, ducks, geese & swans | work=IOC World Bird List Version 11.2 | url=http://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/waterfowl/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | accessdate=24 August 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Auckland Island merganser {{!}} Miuweka {{!}} New Zealand Birds Online |url=https://www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/auckland-island-merganser |access-date=2022-05-30 |website=www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Chatham Island merganser {{!}} New Zealand Birds Online |url=https://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/chatham-island-merganser |access-date=2022-05-30 |website=nzbirdsonline.org.nz |language=en}}</ref>
+{{Species table |genus= Mergus |authority-name=[[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]] |authority-year=[[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]] |species-count=two|no-note=y|narrow-percent=75}}
+{{Species table/row
+|name= Common merganser|binomial=[[Mergus merganser]]
+|image=File:Birds of Sweden 2016 10.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=|image-caption=Male
+|image2 =File:Mergus merganser fem.jpg|image2-caption=Female
+|authority-name=Linnaeus |authority-year=1758 |authority-not-original=
+|range= Europe, northern and central Asia, and North America
+|range-image=File:MergusMerganserIUCNver2019-2.png
+|range-image-size=180px
+|size=
+|habitat=
+|hunting=
+|iucn-status= LC
+|population=
+|direction=
+|subspecies={{Collapsible list |expand=yes |title=Three subspecies |bullets=on
+| ''M. m. merganser'' – <small>[[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758</small>
+| ''M. m. orientalis'' – <small>[[John Gould|Gould]], 1845</small>
+| ''M. m. americanus'' – <small>[[John Cassin|Cassin]], 1852</small>
+}}
+}}
+{{Species table/row
+|name=Brazilian merganser |binomial=[[Mergus octosetaceus]]
+|image=File:Mergus octosetaceus, morčák paranský, Zoo Praha.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=
+|authority-name=Vieillot |authority-year=1817 |authority-not-original=
+|range= Brazil
+|range-image=File:Mergus octosetaceus map.svg
+|range-image-size=180px
+|size=
+|habitat=
+|hunting=
+|iucn-status= CR
+|population=
+|direction=
+|subspecies=
+}}
+{{Species table/row
+|name=Red-breasted merganser |binomial=[[Mergus serrator]]
+|image=File:Merganser (53630992394).jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=|image-caption=Male
+|image2 =File:Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator).jpg|image2-caption=Female
+|authority-name=Linnaeus |authority-year=1758 |authority-not-original=
+|range= Northern North America, Greenland, Europe, and Asia
+|range-image=File:MergusSerratorIUCN2018 2.png
+|range-image-size=180px
+|size=
+|habitat=
+|hunting=
+|iucn-status= LC
+|population=
+|direction=
+|subspecies=
+}}
+{{Species table/row
+|name=Scaly-sided merganser |binomial=[[Mergus squamatus]]
+|image=File:253 Schuppensäger 2009123ß.JPG|image-size=180px |image-alt=|image-caption=Male
+|image2 =File:Scaly-sided merganser.jpg|image2-caption=Female
+|authority-name=Gould|authority-year= 1864 |authority-not-original=
+|range= East Asia
+|range-image=
+|range-image-size=180px
+|size=
+|habitat=
+|hunting=
+|iucn-status=EN
+|population=
+|direction=
+|subspecies=
+}}
+{{Species table/end}}
+{|class="wikitable"
+! Image !! Scientific name !! Common name!! Distribution
+|-
+|[[File:MA I156484 TePapa Mergus-australis.jpg|120px]]
+|†''Mergus australis''
+|[[Auckland Island merganser]]
+|[[Auckland Islands]], New Zealand (extinct c. 1902). The species identity of merganser bones from mainland New Zealand - [[North Island|North]], [[South Island|South]], and [[Stewart Island|Stewart]] Islands - is unresolved.<ref name=":02">Miskelly, Colin & Forsdick, Natalie & Gill, Brian & Palma, Ricardo & Rawlence, Nicolas & Tennyson, Alan. (2022). CHECKLIST OF THE BIRDS OF NEW ZEALAND. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361824003_CHECKLIST_OF_THE_BIRDS_OF_NEW_ZEALAND</ref>
+|-
+|
+|†''Mergus milleneri''
+|[[Mergus milleneri|Chatham Island merganser]]
+|[[Chatham Island]], New Zealand. Extinct sometime after human settlement of the Chatham Islands,<ref name=":0" /> which began c. 1500.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Moriori {{!}} people {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Moriori |access-date=2022-05-30 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>
+|-
+|}
+=== Fossil species ===
+Some [[fossil]] members of this genus have been described:
+* ''Mergus miscellus'' is known from the Middle [[Miocene]] [[Calvert Formation]] ([[Barstovian]], c.14&nbsp;[[million years ago]]) of [[Virginia]], [[United States|USA]].
+* ''Mergus connectens'' lived in the [[Early Pleistocene]] about 2–1&nbsp;million years ago, in Central and Eastern Europe.<ref name="Mlikovsky2002a" />
+The Early [[Oligocene]] [[booby]] ''"Sula" ronzoni'' was at first mistakenly believed to be a typical merganser.<ref>Mlíkovský (2002b): p. 264</ref> A Late [[Serravallian]] <!-- not linked [[Badenian]] --> (13–12&nbsp;million years ago) fossil sometimes attributed to ''Mergus'', found in the [[Sajóvölgyi Formation]] of [[Mátraszőlős]], [[Hungary]], probably belongs to ''Mergellus''.<ref name="Gal" /> The affiliations of the mysterious ''"Anas" albae'' from the [[Messinian]] (c. 7–5 million years ago) of Hungary are undetermined; it was initially believed to be a typical merganser too.<ref>Mlíkovský (2002b): p. 124</ref>
+==References==
+{{Reflist|refs=
+<ref name=Arnott>[[Etymology]]: [[Latin]] ''mergus'', a catch-all term for sea-going birds: {{cite journal|author=Arnott, W.G. |year=1964|title= Notes on ''Gavia'' and ''Mergvs'' in Latin Authors|journal=Classical Quarterly |series=New Series |volume=14|issue=2|pages= 249–262|jstor=637729|doi=10.1017/S0009838800023806 |s2cid=170648873 }}</ref>
+<ref name=Gal>{{cite journal|author1=Gál, Erika|author2=Hír, János|author3=Kessler, Eugén|author4=Kókay, József|name-list-style=amp|year=1998–99|title=Középsõ-miocén õsmaradványok, a Mátraszõlõs, Rákóczi-kápolna alatti útbevágásból. I. A Mátraszõlõs 1. lelõhely [Middle Miocene fossils from the sections at the Rákóczi chapel at Mátraszőlős. Locality Mátraszõlõs I.]|journal=Folia Historico Naturalia Musei Matraensis|volume=23|pages=33–78|language=Hungarian, English|url=http://www.matramuzeum.hu/Personal/folia/23/03MATSZOLOS.PDF|access-date=2007-02-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721111701/http://www.matramuzeum.hu/Personal/folia/23/03MATSZOLOS.PDF|archive-date=2011-07-21|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Livezey>{{cite journal|author=Livezey, Bradley C. |year=1986|title= A phylogenetic analysis of recent anseriform genera using morphological characters|journal=[[Auk (journal)|Auk]]|volume=103|issue=4|pages= 737–754|doi=10.1093/auk/103.4.737|url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v103n04/p0737-p0754.pdf}}</ref>
+<ref name=Mlikovsky2002a>{{cite journal|author=Mlíkovský, Jirí|year=2002a|title=Early Pleistocene birds of Stránská skála, Czech Republic: 2. Absolon's cave|journal=Sylvia|volume=38|pages=19–28|url=http://www.nm.cz/download/JML-11-2002-stranska-skala.pdf|access-date=2008-08-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160411211257/http://www.nm.cz/download/JML-11-2002-stranska-skala.pdf|archive-date=2016-04-11|url-status=dead}}</ref>
+}}
+==Bibliography==
+{{Commons category}}
+* Mlíkovský, Jirí (2002b): [https://web.archive.org/web/20110520101755/http://www.nm.cz/download/JML-18-2002-CBE.pdf ''Cenozoic Birds of the World, Part 1: Europe'']. Ninox Press, Prague.<!-- This should be treated with extreme caution as regards merging of species. Splits are usually good though. See also critical review in Auk121:623–627 here http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3793/is_200404/ai_n9396879 -->
+{{Odontoanserae|B.|state=collapsed}}
+{{Taxonbar|from=Q253789}}
+[[Category:Mergus| ]]
+[[Category:Bird genera]]
+[[Category:Ducks]]
+[[Category:Mergansers|*]]
+[[Category:Langhian first appearances]]
+[[Category:Extant Miocene first appearances]]
+[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]