Species: Mergus merganser
Common Merganser
Species
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
See Kaufman (1990, Am. Birds 44:1203-1205) for information on identification.
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Craniata
Class
Aves
Order
Anseriformes
Family
Anatidae
Genus
Mergus
NatureServe
Classification
Other Global Common Names
Mergo Mayor - grand harle
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Waterfowl
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Craniata - Aves - Anseriformes - Anatidae - Mergus
Ecology and Life History
See Kaufman (1990, Am. Birds 44:1203-1205) for information on identification.
Migration
false - true - true - Migration to northern breeding areas occurs mainly in March-April. Southerly migration is relatively late, mainly October into December. Some birds remain in northern areas (e.g., Great Lakes, Maritimes, New England) in winter. (Palmer 1976).
Non-migrant
false
Locally Migrant
true
Food Comments
Eats mainly fishes obtained by diving underwater; also amphibians, crustaceans, mollusks, and other invertebrates. Young initially feed on insects, caught mostly underwater. (Palmer 1976).
Reproduction Comments
Clutch size is 6-17 (usually 9-12). Incubation lasts 28-32 days, by female. Young first fly at 60-70 days. First breeds at end of second year (Terres 1980, Palmer 1976).
Length
64
Weight
1709
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G5
Global Status Last Reviewed
1996-11-21
Global Status Last Changed
1996-11-21
Other Status
LC - Least concern
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
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Global Range
H - >2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles) - H - BREEDS: Alaska, southern Yukon, Labrador, and Newfoundland south to central California, Arizona, New Mexico, southern Chihuahua (Brown 1990), and, east of Rockies, Minnesota, Michigan, New York, New England, and Nova Scotia. WINTERS: Alaska and southern Canada to Mexico and Florida. Also in Old World.
Global Range Code
H
Global Range Description
>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)