Auckland Island merganser
The Auckland Island merganser , also known as the New Zealand merganser, is an extinct species of typical merganser.
Description
This duck was similar in size to the red-breasted merganser. The adult male had a dark reddish-brown head, crest and neck, with bluish black mantle and tail and slate grey wings. The female was slightly smaller with a shorter crest.History
The Auckland Island merganser was known from the Auckland Islands archipelago, part of the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands. The only historical records are from Auckland Island and Adams Island. Holocene bones were found on Enderby Island. The species was formally described in 1841.The closely related extinct Chatham Island merganser is known from Holocene bones found on Chatham Island, New Zealand. The species identity of merganser bones from mainland New Zealand—North, South, and Stewart Islands—is unresolved.