Ducks, geese, and swans · Waterfowl
Common Merganser
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Mergus merganser
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Voice
Song
Pascal Christe
How to recognize it
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Larger than a Mallard, with a long neck and slim red hooked bill
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Breeding male: white body, black head with green sheen
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Female and young: grey body, reddish-brown head, white chin
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In flight, large white wing areas show clearly underneath
About the species
The Common Merganser has a large, streamlined look, with a long narrow bill and a calm, low-slung way of sitting on the water. Its long neck and steady, purposeful movements are easy to remember when you see it along a river or lake.
It is a wary, usually quiet duck that spends much of its time diving for food. It may fish alone or in a small group, sometimes working together to push fish into shallower water, and if startled it can spit out what it has just caught.
It favors freshwater with wooded banks, and in winter it shifts to larger unfrozen lakes or brackish lagoons. Fish make up most of its diet, though it also takes aquatic invertebrates, and northern populations move south in colder months while those in milder areas may stay put.
Where to find
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Along quiet rivers with tree-lined banks — look for a pair diving right by the water’s edge under old willows or poplars.
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On broad unfrozen ponds and canal stretches in winter — often keeps to open water in pairs or small groups, diving over and over.
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Near old bridges and stone embankments with a current — favors deeper pools and may pause on a low ledge above the water.
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By backwaters with fallen trees and driftwood — watch for a slow glide along the bank, then a sudden dive for fish.
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Mergus merganser Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Common merganser Encyclopedia article