Animal Tracks - Common Merganser

Natural History of Common Mergansers
These birds prefer fresh water and are seldom found near salt water. The male has a dark green head that appears almost black. The female has a crest on her head and a white throat. Both have a thin, red, hooked bill with sharp teeth along the edges. These teeth help them catch their swimming prey. The teeth also help them keep a grip on slippery fish.
	Mergansers dive underwater to catch fish, their preferred prey. They can swim well and quickly pursue prey underwater. Mergansers also eat aquatic insects. The call is a low, short quack.
They build their nests on the ground or in crevices of trees. Mergansers are commonly seen flying along some river canyons. They sometimes skim low over the water, usually in pairs. White wing patches are visible when they are in flight. Mergansers prefer open water. The webbing on their feet sometimes shows in the tracks.


These fine merganser tracks even show the webbing on the feet. The ruler is six inches and is provided for a size comparison. Merganser tracks are often found directly at the water's edge. They commonly rest right along the shore in the late evening. Mergansers prefer sunny river banks. Their tracks are duck-like. The webbing between the toes helps them swim and chase their prey. They eat fish and any aquatic invertebrates they can find. Mergansers are frequently seen in the evening, heads underwater, rapidly chasing their prey, changing directions swiftly. This is an amazing process to watch. It looks like a feeding frenzy when there is a large group of mergansers churning up the water, chasing prey.


This is the male merganser in breeding plumage. This striking color is visible from afar. The female's more subdued color helps her blend into the environment. This may be because she needs to be able to hide better when she has a nest full of eggs to protect.


This female merganser was resting on a sunny shore in late evening.


When she stood up, she stretched out, then went into the water. Apparently birds enjoy a good muscle stretch too!


A very colorful make merganser in breeding plumage. They are quite attractive birds.


This merganser couple was doing a sort of mating dance. The male swam in circles around the female at least three times while I watched.


The female ducked her head underwater and remained there as the male circled. They they mated.


The make merganser had a grip on the tuft of feathers on top of the female's head.


This breeding pair of mergansers produced a substantial brood that spring and the young grew throughout the summer.


Take-off of a group of mergansers. They had been resting on shore and were disturbed by a human.


Merganser group taking flight all together.



A family of mergansers

Mother merganser and her young.

Pair of mergansers in the Eel River.


Mergansers on the edge of the river. The males are in their breeding plumage.


A group of mergansers getting warm in the sun.


Group of mergansers swims past a turkey vulture on the river bar.


Male merganser is breeding plumage.


Three mergansers were resting on this rock in the middle of the river. When I approached, they jumped off.
Click for video clip of flying meransers along the Eel River in Humboldt County, California.

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