Birds › Ducks, Geese, and Swans
Smew
Mergellus albellus
28 photos
Study shows up to four per card, from different observers, so you learn the species rather than one picture. Heart the good ones and swap any you do not like.
Photos you add are credited to you, and you keep the copyright.
Easily confused with
Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
Common MerganserMergus merganser
Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
MallardAnas platyrhynchos
Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
GarganeySpatula querquedula
Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
Study checks a spoken answer against these, and tells you which one you named.
Where it is recorded
| United States | 629,801 |
|---|---|
| Alaska | 628,720 |
| Russia | 3,354 |
| Moscow | 496 |
| Canada | 411 |
| Ontario | 383 |
| Germany | 380 |
| China | 316 |
| United Kingdom | 263 |
| Japan | 263 |
Counts show where people looked, not only where it lives.
Traits
Behavioral
- MigratoryTravels long distances seasonallyFrom its classification
Group and habits
- Tree nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting in trees.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Cavity nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting in cavities.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Fish eaterListed by a harvested source as primarily eating fish.BIRDBASE avian traits database
Classification
| Kingdom | Animals · Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordates · Chordata |
| Class | Birds · Aves |
| Order | Waterfowl · Anseriformes |
| Family | Ducks, Geese, and Swans · Anatidae |
| Genus | Mergellus |
Study it in a deck
- Birds of British Columbia, Canada
- Birds of Ontario
- Birds of Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
- Birds of United States
Or build your own from the species near you.
Sources
- Names, taxonomy and observation counts: www.inaturalist.org
- Photos and recordings: the creator and source are on each one.
- Traits: BIRDBASE avian traits database (CC BY 4.0)
- How much to rely on each source
Remember the name next time.
Practise Smew with real photos from different observers. Say the name out loud, and it comes back just before you would forget it.