HUNTING HORIZONS - Worldwide Hunting Seasons Database

The Smew [Mergellus albellus] is a small duck which breeds in the northern Europe and Asia. As a migrant it leaves its breeding areas and winters on sheltered coasts or inland lakes of the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, northern Germany and the Low Countries, with small numbers reaching Great Britain, mostly at regular sites. Vagrants have been recorded in North America.
LENGTH: 41 cm WEIGHT: 580-700 kg WINGSPAN: 62 cm
The Smew's bill has a hooked tip and serrated edges, which help it to catch fish. Wings are dark with large white patches, grey legs and feet.
MALE: The drake Smew, with its 'cracked ice' appearance, is unmistakable and looks very black-and-white in flight.
FEMALE: The females are grey birds with chestnut foreheads and crowns; it has oval white wing-patches in flight.
JUVENILE: The immature males are grey birds with chestnut foreheads and crowns
HABITAT: The Smew lives on fish rich lakes, slow rivers and bays. It needs trees for breeding. As a migrant it leaves its breeding areas and winters on sheltered coasts or inland lakes. On lakes it prefers areas around the edges, often under small trees.
FEEDING: Feeds on fish, aquatic insects, and their larvae.
CALL: The call of the Smew is a harsh 'krr' almost like a creaking door, in the winter it is silent.
FLIGHT: Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats, flying in straight line or V formation.