The Smew (Mergellus albellus) is a small duck and is the only member of the genus Mergellus. This species breeds in the northern taiga of 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 number reaching Great Britain (for example, at Dungeness), mostly at regular sites. Vagrants have been recorded in North America. On lakes it prefers areas around the edges, often under small trees.
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