Brazilian merganser

Mergus octosetaceus

The Brazilian merganser (Mergus octosetaceus) is a bird found in Brazil. Found in Brazil. It eats fish and insects and other small invertebrates. The IUCN Red List lists it as Critically Endangered.

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Scientific name	Mergus octosetaceus
Region	South America
Found in	Brazil

🏡 Where the Brazilian merganser lives

Found in Brazil.

🍽️ What it eats

🐟 Fish60%
🐛 Insects & bugs40%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Critically EndangeredAlmost gone from the wild.

💡 It weighs about 983 grams. It mostly eats fish and insects and other small creatures.

Hear the Brazilian merganser

Recorded by Robson Silva e Silva (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC306310. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Brazilian merganser

Where does the Brazilian merganser live?

The Brazilian merganser lives in Brazil. Found in Brazil.

What does the Brazilian merganser eat?

fish (about 60%), insects and other small invertebrates (about 40%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Brazilian merganser endangered?

Almost gone from the wild. Its IUCN Red List category is Critically Endangered.

More birds from South America

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.