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Common Merganser

Mergus merganserOrder: ANSERIFORMESFamily: Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)
Common Merganser Male Portrait
  Splitbar
Range Map for Common Mergancer

Overview

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.

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.

Splitbar

Listen:

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Voice Text

"croack"

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Related Birds:

Mallard
Canvasback
Common Goldeneye
Red-breasted Merganser
Redhead
Smew
Hooded Merganser
.

Copyright © 2005 WBFI Research Foundation Bird database and its related content and media is Copyright (C) 2002 - 2005 Mitch Waite Group All rights reserved.

Family Merganser (Anatidae)_blue
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