Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Chinese Merganser
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| Mergus squamatus Gould, 1864 |
The Chinese Merganser, or Scaly-sided Merganser (Mergus squamatus) is a typical merganser.
This is a striking duck with a shaggy crest and scaled flanks. The adult male has a black head and neck with a long crest, white breast and underparts, and blackish mantle with white innerwings. The female has a buffish head and a wispy crest.
Their breeding habitat is rivers in primary forest in south-east Russia, North Korea and north-east China. They are migratory, wintering in central and southern China, with small numbers in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, northern Vietnam, Myanmar and Thailand.
This species is endangered. Numbers reduced in the 1960s and 1970s due to alterations to primary forests along major rivers. Current threats included illegal hunting, entanglement in fishing nets and river pollution.
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