The seaducks, Merginae, form a subfamily of the duck, goose and swan family of birds, Anatidae. Most are essentially marine outside the breeding season. Many species have developed specialized salt glands to allow them to tolerate salt water. Some of the mergansers prefer riverine habitats. All but two of the 20 species in this group occupy habitats in far northern latitudes. The fish-eating members of this group, such as the mergansers and Smew, have serrated edges to their bills to help them grip their prey. Other seaducks take molluscs or crustaceans from the sea floor. [abstracted from Wikipedia]





Genus Bucephala

Bufflehead Bucephala albeola   Found: North America
Photographed by:  1) Alan_D_Wilson - Huntington Beach, California   2) Winnu
    3, 5) Dick Daniels - Sylvan Heights   4) Dick - North Carolina     6) Dick - Arizona
1, 2, 3) Female  4) male non breeding season  5, 6) male breeding season



Goldeneye, Barrow's Bucephala islamdica  Found in Northern latitudes of North America, Iceland, Europe (rare)
Photographed by:   1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9)  Dick - Sylvan Heights 4, 5, 6)  Dick Daniels - Sylvan Heights 
   7) Donna Dewhurst of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1 - 5) Male   6 - 9) Female    3) A common pose




Goldeneye, Common Bucephala clangula   Found in Northern latitudes of: North America, Europe
Photographed by:   1, 4) Dick Daniels - Sylvan Heights   2, 3, 5, 6) Dick - Sylvan Heights  
2, 3, 4) Male   5) Juvenile  (probably a male    6) Female




Genus Mergus
Fish-eating ducks that are in a sea-duck subfamily. But inspite of the sea they usually prefer rivers.

Merganser, Common aka Goosander Mergus merganser   Found: North America, Europe, Asia Photographed by:  1, 6) Dick - Sylvan Heights   2) Mdf Cobourg, Ontario, Canada   3) Dick Daniels -  Arizona 
   4, 8) Quartl - Munich, Germany   5) Dick - Cooper Landing, Alaska   7) Ted Grussing - Arizona
Male has black head
4) Note the fishing line leading to the probably doomed bird's mouth.



Merganser, Red-breasted Mergus serrator   Found: North America, Europe, Asia Photographed by:  1, 2, 4, 56) Dick Daniels - North Carolina   3) Dick - New Orleans, Louisianna  6) Dick - Biloxi, Mississippi
   7) Alan D Wilson Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Huntington Beach, California




Genus Lophodytes - 1 species

Merganser, Hooded Lophodytes cucullatus   Found: North America
Photographed by: 1, 2, 8) Dick Daniels - Sylvan Heights  3) Sandy Cole - Sylvan Heights  4. 5) Dick - Sylvan Heights   6, 7) Dick - North Carolina
1) Juvenile male  2, 3, 4, 5) Male  6, 7, 8) Female




Genus Clangula - 1 species

Duck, Long-tailed aka Oldsquaw  Clangula hyemalis   Found: North America, Europe
Photographed by: 1, 4, 5, 6)  Alan D Wilson - Deep Bay Spit, Northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia
   2, 8 Dick Daniels - Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward   3, 7) Dick - Alaska Sea Life Center
1) Female breeding  2, 3) Female nonbreeding  4, 5, 6) Male breeding 7. 8) Male nonbreeding




Genus Histrionicus - 1 species

Duck, Harlequin  Histrionicus histrionicus   Found: North America, Greenland,
Photographed by: 1) New Jersy Birds   2) Alan D Wilson - Foot Of Kinkade Road, Qualicum Beach, British Columbia
   3) Alan D Wilson Clover Point, Victoria, British Columbia
   4) Dick Daniels - Sylvan Height    5) Dick - Sylvan Height   6, 7) Dick - Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward
1) Pair 2, 3) Female  4, 5) Male breeding  6, 7) Male nonbreeding




Genus Melanitta

Scoter, Black   Melanitta americana   Found: North America, Asia
Photographed by: 1) Stonebird  2)Peter Massas   3) Andrew Reding - Washington   4) Alan D. Wilson  
1) Juvenile female  2) Juvenile male  3, 4) Male


Scoter, Surf Melanitta perspicillata   Found: North America, Europe
Photographed by: 1, 4) Alan D Wilson  Huntington Beach, California
   2) Elaine R Wilson  Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, Huntington Beach, California  
   3) Mike Baird - Los Osos, Morro Bay, CA,  5) Peter Massas - Barnegat, NJ, USA.  
   6) Dick Daniels - Cape May, New Jersey ferry
1, 2) Female 3 - 6) Male



Scoter, White-winged  Melanitta deglandi  Found: North America, Asia
Photographed by:  1) David Maher - Maine  2) USFWS   3, 6) Alan D. Wilson - White Rock, British Columbia 
    4) Len Blumin  - Bodega Bay, California  5) Elaine R Wilson - British Columbia 
1) Juvenile  2, 3) Female  4, 5, 6) Male




Eiders

Eiders are large seaducks. They breed in the cooler latitudes of the Northern hemisphere. The down feathers of eider ducks, and some other ducks and geese, are used to fill pillows and quilts—they have given the name to the type of quilt known as an eiderdown.


Genus Polysticta

Eider, Steller's  Polysticta stelleri  Found: North America, Europe, Asia
Photographed by: 1) Laura Whitehouse - Alaska SeaLife Center, Anchorage  2)  Glen Smart, USFWS
1) Pair 2) Female



Genus Somateria

Eider, Common Somateria mollissima   Found: North America, Europe, Asia
Photographed by: 1, 3, 4) Dick Daniels - Scotland   2, 6) Dick - Sylvan Heights
5) Dick - Scotland  7) Dick - Maine   8)  Dick - New Hampshire
Male is the classy dresser.



Eider, King    Somateria spectabilis  Found: North America, Europe, Asia
Photographed by: 1, 2) Dick Daniels - Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward  3, 7) Dick Daniels - Sylvan Heights
   4, 8) Dick - Alaska Sea Life Center    5, 6) Dick - Sylvan Heights 
1, 2, 3) Female  5, 6, 7) Male breeding  4, 8) Male nonbreeding



Eider, Spectacled Somateria fischeri   Found: North America
Photographed by: 1, 4, 7) Dick Daniels - Sylvan Heights   2) Dick - Sylvan Heights   3) Sandy Cole - Sylvan Heights 
   5, 6) Laura Whitehouse   8) Sandy - Sylvan Heights
1 - 4) Female  5, 6) Male  7, 8) Juvenile male