Common Merganser
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The Common Merganser, (Goosander in Europe), Mergus merganser, is a large sized duck, which is distributed over Europe, North Asia and North America. It is most common on lakes and rivers. Its nests can be found in treeholes.
- Click here for instructions to build a nesting box for the Common Merganser.
North American birds migrate south in small groups to the United States wherever ice free conditions exist on ponds, lakes and rivers; on the west coast, some birds are permanent residents.
Scandinavian and Russian birds also migrate southwards, but western European birds are largely resident.
The Common Merganser is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
There are three subspecies
- M. m. merganser, the Goosander of Europe
- M. m. orientalis, Central Asian Common Merganser
- M. m. americanus, American Common Merganser
Description:
Males and females are easily distinguished, since the male merganser has a dark green head, while the head of the female is reddish-brown.
The Common Merganser is 70 cm long with a 78-94 cm wingspan.
Diet / Feeding:
These large fish-eaters have serrated edges to their bills to help them grip their prey. Along with the Smew and the Hooded Merganser, they are therefore often known as "sawbills". They also eat mussels and shrimps; young birds mainly eat aquatic insects.
Feeding Ducks ...
We all enjoy ducks and many of us offer them food to encourage them to come over and stay around - and it works! Who doesn't like an easy meal!
However, the foods that we traditionally feed them at local ponds are utterly unsuitable for them and are likely to cause health problems down the road. Also, there may be local laws against feeding this species of bird - so it's best to check on that rather than facing consequences at a later stage.
- Click here to find out which foods to feed them that will offer the nutrition they need to survive a cold winter and remain healthy
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