Common Merganser

Mergus merganser

HOW TO IDENTIFY:

* Length: 18 inches Wingspan: 37 inches
* Large, sleek diving duck
* Long, pointed bill with serrated edges
* Red bill is thick at base, tapering towards tip
* Sleek, tapered crest, more obvious on females than on males
* Brown eye
* White secondaries
* Immature similar to adult female, often with a less-distinct chin patch

Adult male:

* Greenish-black head and upper neck
* White breast, flanks and belly
* Black back and upperwing coverts with white scapulars
* White secondary coverts crossed with indistinct dark bar
* Alternate plumage worn from fall through early summer
* Male in basic eclipse plumage similar to adult female

Adult female:

* Red-brown head meets pale breast in crisp line of division
* Well-defined white chin
* White breast and belly
* Pale gray body plumage

Similar species:

Adult male in alternate plumage is somewhat similar to male Red-breasted Merganser but has white breast and flanks, and a less obvious crest. Female, immature and eclipse male distinguished from similarly-plumaged Red-breasted Mergansers by sharply-defined chin, reddish head contrasting with white breast, paler gray plumage, sleeker crest and larger bill. In winter, Common Mergansers, unlike Red-breasted Mergansers, are generally found in freshwater habitats.