Appearance

Appearance

This is a large, long-bodied duck, 21–28 in (54–71 cm) long, with a narrow red bill. Males are mostly white with a dark green head; females are gray with a sharply outlined cinnamon head and white chin.

Look-alikes

Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator

A breeding male Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) has a rusty, mottled chest and a white neck ring. Females and nonbreeding birds have a dingy breast that blends into the brown head, unlike the Common Merganser's clean white chin and sharply divided pale chest.

Why they get mixed up · Both are long-bodied diving ducks with narrow red bills and shaggy crests.

Where it lives

Typical habitats

• forested rivers
• lakes and reservoirs
• coastal bays

Range

It breeds across northern North America near wooded lakes and rivers. In winter it spreads across much of the northern and western United States, mostly on fresh water.

Seasonal presence

It is a short- to medium-distance migrant in North America.

Behavior

Diet

Fish make up most of the diet, especially in winter. It also eats aquatic insects, mollusks, crustaceans, and other small animals.

Activity

It searches clear water by sight and dives to catch prey. Small groups often move along a shoreline together, and winter flocks can be much larger.

Life cycle

Nest

The female usually nests in a natural tree cavity or old woodpecker hole near water, but nest boxes and rock crevices are also used.

Clutch size

6–17 eggs

Incubation

28–35 days

Connected species

Predators

• Northern PikeEsox lucius

  Northern Pike can catch young Common Mergansers after they leave the nest.

Name and classification

About the name

North American birds are mainly the American Common Merganser (Mergus merganser americanus). The Eurasian Goosander (M. m. merganser) is a subspecies and a rare visitor to Alaska.

Conservation

IUCN Red List

LCLeast Concern·Low risk of extinction

Status

North American populations were broadly stable in long-term surveys through 2019.