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Common Merganser

Mergus merganserOrder: ANSERIFORMESFamily: Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)

Common Merganser Male Portrait
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General

Common Merganser: Large, sleek diving duck with black upperparts and white underparts. Head and upper neck are green-black with head crest usually not visible. Long, thin bill is bright red. Wings are black with extensive white patches. Female is gray overall with red-brown, crested head and neck, white chin, dull white upper breast and belly, and orange bill. Juvenile resembles female but has more white on chin, a faint white eye-ring, and duller bill. Eclipse male resembles both but is more distinctly dark and light gray mottled.

Range and Habitat

Common Merganser: Breeds from eastern Alaska to Newfoundland on wooded rivers, ponds, and lakes. Spends winters in south as far as Mexico, mainly on large lakes and rivers, occasionally on saltwater.

Voice Text

"croack"

Interesting Facts

  • Common Mergansers are the largest of the three merganser species in North America.
  • Gulls often follow flocks as they forage. They wait for the ducks to come to the surface with fish, and then they try to steal their prey. Occasionally a Bald Eagle will attempt this.
  • These large fish-eaters have serrated edges to their bills to help them grip their prey. Along with the Smew and the other Mergansers, they are often known as "sawbills."
  • A group of ducks has many collective nouns, including a "brace", "flush", "paddling", "raft", and "team" of ducks.


Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for Common Mergancer
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family
Species Mergus merganser
Length22 - 27 Inches
Wingspan34 Inches

Common Merganser

Common Merganser: Large, sleek diving duck with black upperparts and white underparts. Head and upper neck are green-black with head crest usually not visible. Long, thin bill is bright red. Wings are black with extensive white patches. Feeds on fish, mollusks, crustaceans, insects and plants.

● Song: "croack"

● Foraging & Feeding: Common Merganser: Feeds on insects, small fish, and aquatic plants. Forages by diving from the surface and chasing down prey underwater; hooked upper mandible with serrations are designed to catch slippery fish.

● Breeding & nesting: Common Merganser: Six to seventeen light buff or yellow eggs are laid in a down-lined hollow on the ground or in a tree cavity. Incubation ranges from 28 to 35 days and is carried out by the female; young begin to fly at 65 to 70 days.

● Similar species: Common Merganser: Red-breasted Merganser has streaked or spotted breast, gray sides, and distinct crest.

Flight Pattern

Direct flight with rapid wing beats., Bill, head, body, and tail held in a straight line.
Common Merganser Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Common Merganser: Breeds from eastern Alaska to Newfoundland on wooded rivers, ponds, and lakes. Spends winters in south as far as Mexico, mainly on large lakes and rivers, occasionally on saltwater.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
PopulationFairly common, Stable
MigrationMigratory
Weight60.8 Ounces