Difference between revisions of "Common Merganser" - BirdForum Opus

Revision as of 18:24, 6 November 2014

Alternative name: Goosander

Male Goosander
Photo by Digiscoper321
West Sweden, February 2011

Mergus merganser

Identification

Female Goosander
Photo by Ragna
Fetcham mill pond Surrey, January 2006

Adult Male

Greenish-black head and upper neck
White breast, flanks and belly, often tinged salmon-pink.
Black back and upperwing coverts; scapulars white with a narrow black edge.
Secondaries white; secondary coverts all-white giving a fully white inner wing (Goosander M. m. merganser) or with dark tips making a dark bar across the white (Common Merganser M. m. americanus).
Eclipse plumage from June-July to October-November 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 grading to grey flanks.
Pale grey body plumage.

Juvenile

Similar to adult female, but with narrow white line on lores, giving a 'striped' effect to the face.

Male and female Common Mergansers
Photo by GaryT
Hammond Lake, Tioga County, Pennsylvania, USA April 2010

Similar Species

Female may be confused with female Red-breasted Merganser, but shows a distinct division between head and chest. Crest is also less shaggy than in female Red-breasted, and the bill distinctly slenderer.

Distribution

Breeding

Europe

Breeds in Iceland and north and west Britain, throughout Scandinavia and across northern Europe from Poland eastwards. Breeding range slowly expanding west and south in Europe, reaching Germany and the Alps over the last 150 years, Scotland in 1871, northern England in 1941, Wales and Ireland in 1970, and a recent colonist in the Netherlands (where first bred in 1996), the Czech Republic, and northern Greece at Lake Prespa.

Asia

Breeds across northern Asia to northern China, Sakhalin and occasionally Hokkaido, with a separate population on the Tibetan Plateau.

North America

Breeds in southeast Alaska and western Canada across the forest zone of central Canada and east to Newfoundland. In the USA breeds in the north-east and around the Great Lakes, and in the west range extends south to northern California, Arizona and New Mexico.

Northern populations are migratory, most others resident or partial migrants, moving to coastal areas close to breeding site. In winter found in southern Britain and northern France east to Poland and in coastal Norway and Sweden. Small numbers also winter in Central Europe, the northern Mediterranean and the Black and Caspian Seas. In the Far East winters from Japan southwards and in North America winters over much of the USA except the north-central states and the Gulf Coast.

Many, if not most, males in the European population leave the females to care for their ducklings in midsummer and fly north to the Varangerfjord in northeast Norway for moulting, before returning in late autumn.

Vagrant to Greenland, the Faroes and Svalbard and south to Portugal and Spain, the Mediterranean islands, north Africa and Israel, also recorded on Bermuda.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are three subspecies^[1]:

M. m. merganser (Goosander).

Breeds across northern Europe and northern Asia.

M. m. comatus (Tibetan Goosander).

Restricted to the Tibetan Plateau in central Asia. Slightly larger and finer-billed than M. m. merganser.

M. m. americanus (Common Merganser).

Breeds in North America. It has deeper base to bill and the male has dark bar across bases of median coverts.

Some authors have suggested that M. m. americanus may be better treated as a separate species, but this has not been recognised by any of the main ornithological authorities.

Habitat

Breeds along rivers and lakeshores in wooded areas, sometimes on moorland, on passage and in winter on large freshwaters, ofen reservoirs and gravel-pits, sometimes estuaries but rarely on the sea.

Behaviour

The diet includes fish, mussels, shrimps, and aquatic insects.

Vocalisation

<flashmp3>Mergus merganser (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program

References

Clements, JF. 2010. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2010. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.5.xls/view

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Common Merganser. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 4 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Common_Merganser

External Links

Search for photos of Common Merganser in the gallery

This link searches for Common Goosander

Search for videos of Common Merganser on BirdForum TV

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 '''Alternative name: Goosander'''
-[[Image:Great Fishing Tool.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Male<br />Photo by {{user|Digiscoper321|Digiscoper321}}<br />West [[Sweden]], February 2011]]
+[[Image:Great Fishing Tool.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Male Goosander<br />Photo by {{user|Digiscoper321|Digiscoper321}}<br />West [[Sweden]], February 2011]]
 ;[[:Category:Mergus|Mergus]] merganser
 ==Identification==
-[[Image:515Female GoosanderB-forum.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Female<br />Photo by {{user|Ragna|Ragna}}<br />Fetcham mill pond [[Surrey]], January 2006]]
+[[Image:515Female GoosanderB-forum.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Female Goosander<br />Photo by {{user|Ragna|Ragna}}<br />Fetcham mill pond [[Surrey]], January 2006]]
 '''Adult Male'''
 *Greenish-black head and upper neck
-*White breast, flanks and belly
+*White breast, flanks and belly, often tinged salmon-pink.
-*Black back and upperwing coverts with white scapulars
+*Black back and upperwing coverts; scapulars white with a narrow black edge.
-*White secondary coverts crossed with indistinct dark bar
+*Secondaries white; secondary coverts all-white giving a fully white inner wing (Goosander ''M. m. merganser'') or with dark tips making a dark bar across the white (Common Merganser ''M. m. americanus'').
-*Alternate plumage worn from fall through early summer
+*Eclipse plumage from June-July to October-November similar to adult female.
-**Similar to adult female
 '''Adult Female'''
-*Red-brown head meets pale breast in crisp line of division
+*Red-brown head meets pale breast in crisp line of division.
-*Well-defined white chin
+*Well-defined white chin.
-*White breast and belly
+*White breast and belly grading to grey flanks.
-*Pale gray body plumage
+*Pale grey body plumage.
-[[Image:COME 12Apr10 018.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Photo by {{user|GaryT|GaryT}}<br />Hammond Lake, Tioga County, [[Pennsylvania]], [[USA]] April 2010]]
+'''Juvenile'''
+*Similar to adult female, but with narrow white line on lores, giving a 'striped' effect to the face.
+[[Image:COME 12Apr10 018.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Male and female Common Mergansers<br />Photo by {{user|GaryT|GaryT}}<br />Hammond Lake, Tioga County, [[Pennsylvania]], [[USA]] April 2010]]
 ====Similar Species====
-Female may be confused with female [[Red-breasted Merganser]].  Common shows a distinct division between head and chest.  Crest is also less shaggy than female Red-breasted.
+Female may be confused with female [[Red-breasted Merganser]], but shows a distinct division between head and chest. Crest is also less shaggy than in female Red-breasted, and the bill distinctly slenderer.
 ==Distribution==
 ===Breeding===
 ====[[Europe]]====
-Breeds in [[Iceland]] and north and west [[Britain]], throughout [[Scandinavia]] and across Northern Europe from [[Poland]] eastwards. Scattered and isolated populations in the [[Alps]], [[Denmark]], [[Germany]], and furthest south of all, very small numbers breed in northern [[Greece]] at Lake Prespa. Occasionally breeds far south of normal range and has bred several times in the [[Czech Republic]] and in [[Ireland]]. Bred for the first time in the [[Netherlands]] in 1996.
+Breeds in [[Iceland]] and north and west [[Britain]], throughout [[Scandinavia]] and across northern Europe from [[Poland]] eastwards. Breeding range slowly expanding west and south in Europe, reaching [[Germany]] and the [[Alps]] over the last 150 years, [[Scotland]] in 1871, northern [[England]] in 1941, [[Wales]] and [[Ireland]] in 1970, and a recent colonist in the [[Netherlands]] (where first bred in 1996), the [[Czech Republic]], and northern [[Greece]] at Lake Prespa.
 ====[[Asia]]====
-Breeds across Central and northern Asia to northern [[China]], Sakhalin and occasionally Hokkaido.
+Breeds across northern Asia to northern [[China]], Sakhalin and occasionally Hokkaido, with a separate population on the Tibetan Plateau.
 ====[[North America]]====
-Breeds in south-east [[Alaska]] and western [[Canada]] across the forest zone of central Canada and east to [[Newfoundland]]. In the [[USA]] breeds in the north-east and around the Great Lakes, and in the west range extends south to northern [[California]], [[Arizona]] and [[New Mexico]].
+Breeds in southeast [[Alaska]] and western [[Canada]] across the forest zone of central Canada and east to [[Newfoundland]]. In the [[USA]] breeds in the north-east and around the Great Lakes, and in the west range extends south to northern [[California]], [[Arizona]] and [[New Mexico]].
-Northernmost populations are migratory, most others resident or partial migrants, moving to coastal areas close to breeding site. In winter found in southern [[Britain]] and northern [[France]] east to [[Poland]] and in coastal [[Norway]] and [[Sweden]]. Small numbers also winter in Central Europe, the northern Mediterranean and the Black and Caspian Seas. In the Far East winters from [[Japan]] southwards and in [[North America]] winters over much of the [[USA]] except the north-central states and the Gulf Coast.
+Northern populations are migratory, most others resident or partial migrants, moving to coastal areas close to breeding site. In winter found in southern [[Britain]] and northern [[France]] east to [[Poland]] and in coastal [[Norway]] and [[Sweden]]. Small numbers also winter in Central Europe, the northern Mediterranean and the Black and Caspian Seas. In the Far East winters from [[Japan]] southwards and in [[North America]] winters over much of the [[USA]] except the north-central states and the Gulf Coast.
-Vagrant to [[Greenland]], the [[Faroes]] and [[Svalbard]] and south to [[Portugal]] and [[Spain]], the Mediterranean islands, North [[Africa]] and [[Israel]], also recorded on [[Bermuda]].
+Many, if not most, males in the European population leave the females to care for their ducklings in midsummer and fly north to the Varangerfjord in northeast [[Norway]] for moulting, before returning in late autumn.
+Vagrant to [[Greenland]], the [[Faroes]] and [[Svalbard]] and south to [[Portugal]] and [[Spain]], the Mediterranean islands, north [[Africa]] and [[Israel]], also recorded on [[Bermuda]].
 ==Taxonomy==
 ====Subspecies====
-There are 3 subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>:
+There are three subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>:
-Nominate race breeds in [[Europe]] and northern [[Asia]]; the larger and finer-billed race ''comatus'' in Central Asia and ''americanus'' in [[North America]] which has deeper base to bill and male has dark bar across bases of median coverts.
+*''M. m. merganser'' (Goosander).
+::Breeds across northern [[Europe]] and northern [[Asia]].
+*''M. m. comatus'' (Tibetan Goosander).
+::Restricted to the Tibetan Plateau in central Asia. Slightly larger and finer-billed than ''M. m. merganser''.
+*''M. m. americanus'' (Common Merganser).
+::Breeds in [[North America]]. It has deeper base to bill and the male has dark bar across bases of median coverts.
+::Some authors have suggested that ''M. m. americanus'' may be better treated as a separate species, but this has not been recognised by any of the main ornithological authorities.
 ==Habitat==
 Breeds along rivers and lakeshores in wooded areas, sometimes on moorland, on passage and in winter on large freshwaters, ofen reservoirs and gravel-pits, sometimes estuaries but rarely on the sea.
 ==Behaviour==
-The diet includes fish, mussels, shrimp, and aquatic insects.
+The diet includes fish, mussels, shrimps, and aquatic insects.
 ====Vocalisation====
 <flashmp3>Mergus merganser (song).mp3</flashmp3><br />