{"id":762,"date":"2020-06-02T10:43:08","date_gmt":"2020-06-02T17:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/animatingthesea-s20\/?p=762"},"modified":"2020-06-03T11:17:25","modified_gmt":"2020-06-03T18:17:25","slug":"common-merganser","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/animatingthesea-s20\/common-merganser\/","title":{"rendered":"Common Merganser (Mergus Merganser)<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Isadora Colpo<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Fig. 01: Mallards (Anas platyrhyncos) are a common dabbling duck, and are compared here to the common merganser. Mergansers are slightly larger, and have feet set further to the back of their bodies to make diving easier (but walking on land harder). Mergansers are also shorter, and sit lower on the water than mallards. The two birds have different beak shapes for their dietary needs: mallards\u2019 wide, short beaks help filter out food particles, while mergansers’ long, sharp beaks make catching fish easier. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Fig. 02: A three-part diagram of a female common merganser paddling on the surface of water. She uses her feet as oars to push water backwards, thus propelling her forwards. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The common merganser belongs to the family anatidae<\/i>, which includes ducks, geese, and swans, and within that, the subfamily anatinae<\/i> (Delacour & Mayr, p 7). The anatinae<\/i> subfamily molts twice a year and has sexual dimorphism in voice and plumage (Delacour & Mayr, p 7). Male mergansers have smooth black heads and white chests, while female mergansers have spiky reddish head feathers and softer grey chests. However, all mergansers have a thin, bright orange bill. Within its subfamily, mergansers belong to the tribe mergini, also called \u201csea ducks\u201d or \u201cdiving ducks\u201d (Delacour & Mayr, p 32). The name \u201cdiving ducks\u201d sets them apart from more common \u201cdabbling ducks\u201d, such as mallards (Fig. 01). The name \u201csea ducks\u201d is a bit of a misnomer — the common merganser can be found in coastal bays, but they can also be found in lakes or rivers in the middle of the country. Still, these birds have adapted to live in wide, open waters and dive for their food. They have short wings, which allow them to fly fast and low to the water, and wide feet, which make them \u201cclumsy\u201d (Delecour & Mayr, p. 32) on land but incredible swimmers (Fig. 02).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

When spending their time in the ocean, mergansers stick to wintering in coastal bays, and often nest near the water (Audubon Society). They like clear, open water, avoiding \u201cdense marshes and muddy waters\u201d (Audubon Society). This preference is probably because mergansers hunt for their food mostly by sight (Audubon Society). The sight of feeding mergansers can attract gulls (Anderson, Reeder, & Timken p 475), and mergansers sometimes take advantage of \u201cstunned or dead\u201d (Timken & Anderson p 88) fish after they go through dams. Some people think of mergansers as competition for popular game fish, but this simply isn\u2019t true (Timken & Anderson p 90). Mergansers living in fresh water tend to feed on \u201crough or forage fish\u201d (Timken & Anderson p 90), and those closer to the coast feed on young Pacific salmon, but not to the point of threatening the species (Wood).<\/p>\n\n\n\n