Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)

Exhibit of the Month 7 / 2016

Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)

The Common Merganser is the largest representative of our mergansers. It is a fish-eating duck that dives for prey to depths of several meters. Its perfectly hydrodynamic body shape and large webbed feet facilitate movement underwater. It catches fish with its long, narrow beak that has serrated edges and a hooked tip. As with most ducks, sexual dimorphism is evident in the Common Merganser. The male is strikingly colored in black and white, while the female is gray with a reddish head and a prominent crest.

The Common Merganser is mainly found in our region during the winter months in small flocks on all non-freezing waters. Significant wintering sites include Lake Most. It nests rarely in the Czech Republic, but its numbers are gradually increasing. Like a few other species of our ducks, it nests in tree cavities near water. They lay 8 to 12 eggs. The chicks jump out of the entrance hole after hatching, and upon landing on the ground, they follow their mother to the nearest water. As representatives of non-feeding birds, they obtain food themselves under the supervision of the duck.