Photo Study Of Mergansers

This  has  been a super week for finding Mergansers in New Jersey. We saw them at Silver Lake in Belmar, Barnegat Jetty and Brigantine.

The Common Merganser (Mergus merganser) is the largest merganser (25 inches). It is a large diving duck with a long thin bill. The Common Merganser is found along large lakes and rivers across the northern hemisphere. Its long bill has toothy projections along its edges that help the duck hold onto its slippery fish prey.

 Common Merganser Hen, Bucks County, PA, 2009

Common Merganser Drake At Brigantine, January 2010

The Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) is the smallest (18 inches) of the North American Mergansers. A small fish-eating duck of wooded ponds, the Hooded Merganser nests in holes in trees. It is frequently seen on shallow waters where its only waterfowl companion is the Wood Duck.

Hooded Merganser Drake At Peace Valley Park, Bucks Cty, PA, March 2009

Hooded Merganser Hen At Peace Valley Park, Bucks Cty, PA, March 2009

The Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) is a large diving duck (23 inches) with a long thin bill. The Red-breasted Merganser is found in large lakes, rivers and the ocean. It prefers salt water more than the other two species of mergansers.

Red-breasted Merganser Drake At Barnegat Jetty, February 2010

Red-breasted Mergansers On TheBreeding Grounds Of The Alagnak River, Alaska, August 2008

And here are a pair of Common Mergansers together with a pair of Hooded Mergansers At Brigantine

Please click on either the thumbnails or the captions below to see a larger image...thanks!

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