Common Merganser
(Mergus merganser)
Species Description
**Description:** A large, fish-eating duck; males have a stark white body, black back, and dark green head with a thin red bill.
**Size & Weight:** 21–28 inches long. Weighs 2–4.5 lbs.
**Sexual Dimorphism:** Males are black and white; females are gray with a shaggy cinnamon-red head and white throat.
**Behavior:** Known as "sawbills" for their serrated bills designed to grip slippery fish. They often swim in single-file lines.
**Habitat:** Common on the Allegheny River below the Kinzua Dam and larger forest creeks.
**Size & Weight:** 21–28 inches long. Weighs 2–4.5 lbs.
**Sexual Dimorphism:** Males are black and white; females are gray with a shaggy cinnamon-red head and white throat.
**Behavior:** Known as "sawbills" for their serrated bills designed to grip slippery fish. They often swim in single-file lines.
**Habitat:** Common on the Allegheny River below the Kinzua Dam and larger forest creeks.