Common Merganser

• Size: 1.7-2.3' long // 3.2 pounds
• Diet: fish and some insects
• Seasonal Habits: Migrate in late fall and early spring
• Temperament: Not Aggressive

Common Mergansers are streamlined ducks that float gracefully down small rivers or shallow shorelines. The males are striking with clean white bodies, dark green heads, and a slender, serrated red bill. The elegant gray-bodied females have rich, cinnamon heads with a short crest. In summer, look for them leading ducklings from eddy to eddy along streams or standing on a flat rock in the middle of the current. These large ducks nest in hollow trees; in winter they form flocks on larger bodies of water. They are adapted for swimming and floating with feathers coated in special oils that shed water. They dive underwater to feed and can swallow fish more than one foot long