Average length: M 25.5", F 22.9 . The diet of Common Mergansers includes fish, insects and aquatic plants. The Common Merganser, as the name indicates, is the most abundant and whose habitat covers the largest portions of the continent. Unlock thousands of full-length species accounts and hundreds of bird family overviews when you subscribe to Birds of the World. There were days out in the swamp that we would pass up other ducks just because we knew we … Average weight: M 3.64 lbs., F 2.73 lbs. It commonly preys on fish like trout, small salmon, perch, minnows, and eels. Common mergansers nest in tree cavities, nest boxes, cliff crevices, and on the ground, generally near clear-water rivers in forested regions and on mountainous terrain. Latin: Mergus merganser americanus . Common Merganser nicknames … The Common Merganser is a large fish-eating diving duck, and has a long thin bill with toothy projections used to hold slippery fish. These large fish-eaters have long bills with serrated edges, which enables them to grip their prey. The merganser’s bill is equipped with a toothlike edge that helps the bird hold Those … The Common Merganser or Goosander is among the largest of the sawbill group, with males weighing up to 4.5 lbs. Diet. I was shooting 40-50 ducks a year and that gave me a lot of duck to work with. Each species account is written by leading ornithologists and provides detailed information on bird distribution, migration, habitat, diet, sounds, behavior, breeding, current population status, and conservation. I have eaten a lot of ducks in my life. The common merganser dives for prey like fish, mollusks, and crustaceans. Description Common Mergansers lay 6 to 17 eggs which hatch in 28 to 35 days. The Common Merganser can be a salt-water or a fresh-water visitor. It also gave me the opportunity to become a duck snob, of sorts. There are three types of these birds in North America. The female incubates and they are monogamous. Soaked over night, sliced thin, pan fried with some Tony's and garlic powder. The serrated edges of the common merganser's bill are like the teeth of a saw! The Common Merganser, (Goosander in Europe), Mergus merganser, is a large sized duck, that - along with the Smew and the Hooded Merganser - is also known as "sawbill" - so named because of the serrated edges to their bills to help them grip their slippery prey.. Distribution. Female common mergansers lay an average of 9-12 eggs. In North America, they breed across Canada south to Pennsylvania in the east, and northern California in the west. In streams and rivers, they float down downstream for a couple of miles, and then fish their way back, diving incessantly along the way. Common Merganser Scientific Name: Mergus merganser True to the Latin name mergus, meaning diver, the Common Merganser is an underwater hunter whose diet consists mainly of fish. on Merganser. They range extends across Europe, North Asia and North America. re: Cooking Merganser Duck Posted by stein_burgundy on 10/4/17 at 6:36 am to Bleeding purple I've done it before with a 50/50 mix of milk and allegro game tame. Common merganser A large, streamlined duck that dives to eat fish. The mergansers are also known as "Fish Ducks" and fish is their main diet. There were a couple of years there in the late 90's when I pretty much survived on duck. Once below the surface, this duck uses its expert swimming abilities to chase down minnow-sized fish. The Common Merganser moves clumsily on land. Most duck hunters pass up common mergansers because their fish diet causes them to taste, Crenshaw says generously, “a little tangy.” Common merganser couples pair up during the winter and early spring. The common merganser’s fish diet also means there is almost no hunting pressure on its numbers. 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