4 minute read
MERGANSERS: Those Ducks with the Fancy ‘Doos!
LET'S GO BIRDING | By Laura Carberry, Director of Properties
Many of you may know that ducks are one of my favorite groups of birds. They captured my attention during a college class at Trustom Pond and shaped my future in birding.
My professor had decided to use Trustom Pond as an outdoor classroom one winter day and asked that we record all the ducks we observed. I remember getting to the observation platform and seeing thousands of ducks! There was a lot of ice on the pond that year and the birds were pushed up close to the area near the platform. You could hear their little squeals, squawks, and babbles. You could see the colors of their eyes, bills, and each individual feather.
It looked like a soup of ducks, moving back and forth, different species coming and going into view. I was hooked and still could watch ducks all day long.
Since ducks are a highlight of birding in the colder months, it’s a great time to share information on mergansers, a fascinating group of ducks with fabulous hairdos! These birds are considered a diving sea duck but don’t let that description fool you, because mergansers aren’t all found in the sea. But - they do all dive! They have a very thin, long, serrated bill; its unique among ducks. Perfectly designed for fishing, the serrations on their bills help them to grab and secure fish, crayfish and other food.
You Can Find Three Species of Mergansers in Rhode Island:
Hooded Merganser
The Hooded Merganser is the smallest of the three. The males have a beautiful black and white retractable hood. Their bodies are black and white as well with accents of chestnut on the sides of their bodies. The females also have a hood but are a muted brown and less showy than the male. Although not very common, we do have some breeding Hooded Mergansers in Rhode Island. They nest in tree cavities like Wood Ducks and often use “brood parasitism,” meaning they lay their eggs in other duck’s nests. You most often see Hooded Mergansers on wooded ponds, but they can also be seen in large brackish ponds like Trustom and on some reservoirs. If there is open water, you will find them present.
Red-breasted Merganser
Red-breasted Mergansers are a shaggy-headed bird, with the males having a green head, rusty chest and a thin, bright orange bill. The females are mostly brown but do have that same shaggy "doo" and bright bill. Winter is the best time to observe this species. They can often be found in the bay, along our shoreline, and in brackish water. They are also fish eaters. The Red-breasted Mergansers nest in Northern Canada and the males take two years to get their beautiful breeding plumage.
Common Merganser
The Common Merganser is actually the least “common” merganser in Rhode Island. They prefer larger bodies of fresh water. The males have a gorgeous slicked-back green head, and much more white on their bodies than the Red-breasted Merganser. The female coloration is very similar to the Red-breasted Merganser. One way to tell them apart is to look at their neck. The Common Merganser has a division between the white and brown feathers. It is a crisp straight line across the neck, not a blurred line like the Red-breasted Merganser. These mergansers also nest in the northern regions of North America.
