Mergini

Tribe of birds From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mergini

The sea ducks (Mergini) are a tribe of the duck subfamily of birds, the Anatinae. The taxonomy of this group is incomplete. Some authorities separate the group as a subfamily, while others remove some genera. Most species within the group spend their winters near coastal waters. Many species have developed specialized salt glands to allow them to tolerate salt water, but these are poorly developed in juveniles. Some of the species prefer riverine habitats. All but two of the 22 species in this group live in far northern latitudes.

Quick Facts Sea ducks, Scientific classification ...
Sea ducks
Thumb
Harlequin duck, Histrionicus histrionicus (male)
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Subfamily: Anatinae
Tribe: Mergini
Rafinesque, 1815
Genera

Clangula
Histrionicus
Polysticta
Camptorhynchus
Somateria
Melanitta
Bucephala
Mergellus
Lophodytes
Mergus

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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 and are often known as "sawbills". Other sea ducks forage by diving underwater, taking molluscs or crustaceans from the sea floor. The Mergini take on the eclipse plumage during the late summer and molt into their breeding plumage during the winter.

Species

Summarize
Perspective

There are twenty-two species in ten genera:

More information Image, Genus ...
ImageGenusLiving Species
ThumbClangula Leach, 1819
ThumbHistrionicus Lesson, 1828
ThumbCamptorhynchus
ThumbPolysticta Eyton, 1836
ThumbSomateria Leach, 1819
ThumbMelanitta F. Boie, 1822
ThumbBucephala S.F. Baird, 1858
ThumbMergellus Selby, 1840
  • Smew (Mergellus albellus)
ThumbLophodytes Reichenbach, 1853
ThumbMergus Linnaeus, 1758
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Below is a phylogeny based on a mitogenomic study of the placement of the Labrador duck and the diving "goose" Chendytes lawi.[1]

Mergini

References

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