Habitat
Where can you find the common merganser?
Common Merganser can be found throughout the
northern hemisphere in the Nearctic region (North America) and the Paleartic
region (Europe and Asia). Although the number of common mergansers has
decreased in North America, they are still the most abundant of all the
mergansers. During the winter, common mergansers fly south while still
remaining in the northern hemisphere. They will remain as far north as open,
unfrozen freshwater allows. In North America during the winter, birds will
live in midwestern and southern states, New England, and on the Pacific
coast of Canada and the U.S. As soon as the snow begins to melt, common
mergansers can be found making the journey north to the summer breeding
grounds. They prefer to live in wooded areas near rivers, lakes, or creeks.
Common mergansers tend to build their nests in hollow trees near the edge of
water. Common mergansers are predators who locate their prey by sight, so
they tend to feed in clearer freshwaters that are less than 4 meters deep.
Common mergansers live in close proximity with many different organisms
including freshwater fish, other birds, mammals, and many more. Some
organisms include perch, salmon, large and small mouth bass, trout, eagles,
common loons, red-breasted and hooded mergansers, black bears, and various
invertebrates.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? contact me at bales.aman@students.uwlax.edu
For more interesting organisms visit multiplerganisms.net