The smew is a small compact diving duck with a delicate bill. The male is white with a black mask and a black back, the female is grey with a reddish-brown head and white cheek. In flight, it shows black and white wings. It is a winter visitor in small numbers from Scandinavia and Russia. Sometimes birds move here from Holland and Denmark to escape freezing weather there. Little is known about this bird on its breeding grounds.
Key ID Features:
Winter males are strikingly white with black eye patch, fine black lines on flanks and breast and a black nape beneath a white crest.
Juveniles and females are known as 'red-heads' as both have russet caps.
Overview
Scientific name: Mergellus albellus
Family: Swans, ducks and geese (Anatidae)
Where to see them:
Most are found south of a line between the Wash and the Severn. Birds sometimes turn up on quite small areas of water so it's worth looking for at any inland lake in winter, particularly in very cold weather.
Seen in UK:
December to March.
What they eat
Fish, insect larvae and other insects.
Text (c) RSPB, used with permission
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Photographer: Tim Tapley
