Bird name:

Common Merganser

Mergus merganser

Order

ANSERIFORMES

Family

Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)

Code 4

COME

Code 6

MERMER

ITIS

175185

Breeding Location:

Lakes, Rivers, Ponds

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Fairly common, Stable

Egg Color:

Light buff or yellow

Number of Eggs:

6 - 17

Incubation Days:

28 - 35

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Lined with down., Wood chips in base of cavity.

Migration:

Migratory

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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.

Breeding and 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.

Foraging and 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.

Vocalization

Common Merganser: Call is that of low, rasping croaks.

Similar Species

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

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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.

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Belly

The ventral part of the bird, or the area between the flanks on each side and the crissum and breast. Flight muscles are located between the belly and the breast.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Chin

The area of the face just below the bill.

Crest

Tufts of feathers on the head of the bird.

Upper mandible

The upper part of the bill.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America