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Information about Merganser

Typical mergansers
Enlarge picture
Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)

Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Anseriformes
Family:Anatidae
Genus:Mergus
Linnaeus, 1758
Species
  • M. australis (extinct)
  • M. merganser
  • M. octosetaceus
  • M. serrator
  • M. squamatus


Mergus[1] is the genus of typical mergansers, ducks in the seaduck subfamily (Merginae).

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".

Species

Fossil species that have been described are Mergus miscellus from the Middle Miocene Calvert Formation (c. 14 mya, Barstovian) of Virginia, USA and Mergus connectens (Middle Pleistocene of C Europe or somewhere between 800.000 and 125.000 years ago). An undescribed fossil merganser is documented from the Middle Miocene Sajóvölgyi Formation (Late Badenian, 13-12 mya) of Mátraszõlõs, Hungary (Gál et al. 1998-99).

The Hooded Merganser, often termed Mergus cucullatus, is phylogentically not of the Mergus genus.

References

  • Arnott, W. G. (1964): Notes on Gavia and Mergvs in Latin Authors. Classical Quarterly, New Series 14(2): 249-262. First page image
  • 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.]. Folia Historico Naturalia Musei Matraensis 23: 33-78. [Hungarian with English abstract] PDF fulltext

Footnotes

1. ^ Etymology: Latin mergus, a catchall term for sea-going birds (see Arnott, 1964)
M. serrator

Binomial name
Mergus serrator
Linnaeus, 1758

Red-breasted Merganser range


The Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator
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Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. Scientific classification also can be called scientific taxonomy, but should be distinguished from folk taxonomy, which lacks scientific basis.
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Chordata
Bateson, 1885

Typical Classes

See below

Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates.
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Aves
Linnaeus, 1758

Orders

About two dozen - see section below

Birds (class Aves) are bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrate animals.
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Anseriformes
Wagler, 1831

Families
  • Anhimidae
  • Anseranatidae
  • Anatidae
  • †Dromornithidae
  • †Presbyornithidae
  • †Gastornidae(?)


The order Anseriformes
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Waterbird redirects here. See also shorebirds and seabirds.

Ducks, geese and swans

Black-bellied Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis)


Scientific classification
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Carolus Linnaeus (Carl von Linné)

Carl von Linné, Alexander Roslin, 1775. Currently owned by and hanging at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
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8th century - 9th century - 10th century
850s  860s  870s  - 880s -  890s  900s  910s
885 886 887 - 888 - 889 890 891

:
Subjects:     Archaeology - Architecture -
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extinction is the cessation of existence of a species or group of taxa, reducing biodiversity. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of that species (although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point).
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genus (plural: genera) is part of the Latinized name for an organism. It is a name which reflects the classification of the organism by grouping it with other closely similar organisms.
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Duck is the common name for a number of species in the Anatidae family of birds. The ducks are divided between several subfamilies listed in full in the Anatidae article. Ducks are mostly aquatic birds, mostly smaller than their relatives the swans and geese, and may be found in
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Merginae

Genera

Chendytes (extinct)
Polysticta
Somateria
Histrionicus
Camptorhynchus (extinct)
Melanitta
Clangula
Bucephala
Mergellus
Lophodytes
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Mergellus
Selby, 1840

Species: M. albellus

Binomial name
Mergellus albellus
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms
Mergus albellus
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Lophodytes
Reichenbach, 1853

Species: L. cucullatus

Binomial name
Lophodytes cucullatus
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms

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M. australis

Binomial name
Mergus australis
Hombron & Jacquinot, 1841

The Auckland Islands Merganser, Mergus australis, was a typical merganser which is now extinct.
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extinction is the cessation of existence of a species or group of taxa, reducing biodiversity. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of that species (although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point).
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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1870s  1880s  1890s  - 1900s -  1910s  1920s  1930s
1899 1900 1901 - 1902 - 1903 1904 1905

Year 1902 (MCMII
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M. merganser

Binomial name
Mergus merganser
Linnaeus, 1758

Common Merganser range


The Common Merganser, (Goosander in Europe),
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M. octosetaceus

Binomial name
Mergus octosetaceus
Vieillot, 1817

The Brazilian Merganser, Mergus octosetaceus, is a typical merganser.
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M. serrator

Binomial name
Mergus serrator
Linnaeus, 1758

Red-breasted Merganser range


The Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator
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M. squamatus

Binomial name
Mergus squamatus
Gould, 1864

The Chinese Merganser, or Scaly-sided Merganser, Mergus squamatus, is a typical merganser.
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For other uses of the term, see Fossil (disambiguation)


FOSSIL is a standard for allowing serial communication for telecommunications programs under the DOS operating system.
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The Miocene Epoch is a period of time that extends from about 23.03 to 5.332 million years before the present. As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the start and end are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are uncertain.
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Location Calvert County, Maryland, USA

Coordinates
Area 1,313 acres (5.31 km²)

Governing body Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Calvert Cliffs State Park
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mya or "m.y.a." is an abbreviation for million years ago. This abbreviation is commonly used as a unit of time to denote length of time before the present or "B.P." (before AD 1950). Specifically, one mya is equal to 106 years ago.
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Commonwealth of Virginia

Flag of Virginia Seal
Nickname(s): Old Dominion, Mother of Presidents
Motto(s): Sic semper tyrannis

Official language(s) English

Capital Richmond
Largest city
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Pleistocene epoch (IPA: /'plaɪstəsi:n/) on the geologic timescale is the period from 1,808,000 to 11,550 years BP. The Pleistocene epoch had been intended to cover the world's recent period of repeated glaciations.
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Motto
none
Historically Regnum Mariae Patronae Hungariae (Latin)
"Kingdom of Mary the Patroness of Hungary"
Anthem
Himnusz ("Isten, áldd meg a magyart")
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Lophodytes
Reichenbach, 1853

Species: L. cucullatus

Binomial name
Lophodytes cucullatus
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms

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