Smew: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the smew lives – recorded in 36 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Mergellus albellus
Group	Ducks, geese & swans
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	36 countries
Continents	Asia, Europe, North America
Mass	42 g (birth weight); 652 g (male organism, adult weight); 568 g (female organism, adult weight)
Class	Bird
Order	Anseriformes
Family	Anatidae

Where does the smew live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the smew in 36 countries and territories across Asia, Europe and North America. Wikidata gives its range as: Nanling Mountains.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

How big is a smew?

Wikidata records the following for the smew: mass 42 g (birth weight); 652 g (male organism, adult weight); 568 g (female organism, adult weight).

Is the smew endangered?

The smew’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the smew?

The smew (Mergellus albellus) is a bird in the order Anseriformes and the family Anatidae, genus Mergellus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the smew

The smew (Mergellus albellus) is a species of duck and is the only living member of the genus Mergellus. The genus is closely related to Mergus and is sometimes included in it; genetic studies have shown that it is the sister taxon to Mergus and Lophodytes. The smew has hybridised with the common goldeneye (Bucephala clangula).

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Smew (revision 1325724915), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q200646 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).