Common merganser

Appearance

It is 58–72 cm long with a 78–97 cm wingspan and a weight of 0.9–2.1 kg; males average slightly larger than females, but with some overlap. Like other species in the genus "Mergus", it has a crest of longer head feathers, but these usually lie smoothly rounded behind the head, not normally forming an erect crest. Adult males in breeding plumage are easily distinguished, the body white with a variable salmon-pink tinge, the head black with an iridescent green gloss, the rump and tail grey, and the wings largely white on the inner half, black on the outer half. Females, and males in "eclipse" are largely grey, with a reddish-brown head, white chin, and white secondary feathers on the wing. Juveniles are similar to adult females but also show a short black-edged white stripe between the eye and bill. The bill and legs are red to brownish-red, brightest on adult males, dullest on juveniles.

Status

Overall, the species is not threatened, though illegal persecution by game-fishing interests is a problem in some areas. In February 2020, a rare goosander sighting was documented in Central Park, New York; the bird was in obvious distress, with its beak being trapped by a piece of debris.

Within western Europe, a marked southward spread has occurred from Scandinavia in the breeding range since about 1850, colonising Scotland in 1871, England in 1941, and also a strong increase in the population in the Alps. They are very scarce in Ireland, with regular breeding confined to a few pairs in County Wicklow.

The goosander is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds applies.

Images
File:Mergus merganser, female and male, Vaxholm, Sweden.jpg|Mergus merganser couple, Vaxholm, Sweden]]
File:Goosander looking up.jpg|Female goosander's bill showing the serrated edge
File:Jona - Jona - Mergus merganser IMG 9145.JPG|Couple and single female on Jona in Switzerland
File:Common Merganser, female and 4 young.jpg|"M. m. americanus", female and juveniles
File:Mergus merganser MWNH 2015.JPG|Egg, Collection Museum Wiesbaden
File:Robert Wilkinson Padley - A Dun Diver - Google Art Project.jpg|Robert Wilkinson Padley - "A Goosander", 1817

Reproduction

Nesting is normally in a tree cavity, so it requires mature forest as its breeding habitat; they also readily use large nest boxes where provided, requiring an entrance hole 15 cm in diameter. In places devoid of trees, they use holes in cliffs and steep, high banks, sometimes at considerable distances from the water. The female lays 6–17 white to yellowish eggs, and raises one brood in a season. The ducklings are taken by their mother in her bill to rivers or lakes immediately after hatching, where they feed on freshwater invertebrates and small fish fry, fledging when 60–70 days old. The young are sexually mature at the age of two years. Common Mergansers are known to form crèches, with single females having been observed with over 70 ducklings at one time.

Food

Like the other mergansers, these piscivorous ducks have serrated edges to their bills to help them grip their prey, so they are often known as "sawbills". In addition to fish, they take a wide range of other aquatic prey, such as molluscs, crustaceans, worms, insect larvae, and amphibians; more rarely, small mammals and birds may be taken. As in other birds with the character, the salmon-pink tinge shown variably by males is probably diet-related, obtained from the carotenoid pigments present in some crustaceans and fish. When not diving for food, they are usually seen swimming on the water surface, or resting on rocks in midstream or hidden among riverbank vegetation, or on the edge of floating ice.

In most places, the common merganser is as much a frequenter of salt water as fresh water. In larger streams and rivers, they float down with the stream for a few miles, and either fly back again or more commonly fish their way back, diving incessantly the whole way. In smaller streams, they are present in pairs or smaller groups, and they float down, twisting round and round in the rapids, or fishing vigorously in a deep pool near the foot of a waterfall or rapid. When floating leisurely, they position themselves in water similar to ducks, but they also swim deep in water like cormorants, especially when swimming upstream. They often sit on a rock in the middle of the water, similar to cormorants, often half-opening their wings to the sun. To rise from water, they flap along the surface for many yards. Once they are airborne, their flight is strong and rapid. They often fish in a group forming a semicircle and driving the fish into shallow water, where they are captured easily. Their ordinary voice is a low, harsh croak, but during the breeding season, males in display, as well as young, make a plaintive, soft whistle. Generally, they are wary, and one or more birds stay on sentry duty to warn the flock of approaching danger. When disturbed, they often disgorge food before moving. Though they move clumsily on land, they resort to running when pressed, assuming a very upright position similar to penguins, and falling and stumbling frequently.