Common merganser
Mergus merganser Linnaeus, 1758
The common merganser (Mergus merganser), also called the Goosander, is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup, belonging to the family Anatidae and the order Anseriformes. It is a medium-sized bird with an adult body mass of 1.451 kg, ranging from 1.232 to 1.709 kg in our sources, and a wingspan of 93 cm.
Quick facts about the common merganser
This migratory, aquatic carnivore is classed as an aquatic predator and is associated with riverine habitats, across a geographic range of 24,920,000 km². It lays 1 clutch per year with a clutch size of 9.8, incubates eggs for 30 days, reaches sexual maturity at 2 years, and is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
- Weight
- 1.23 kg – 1.71 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 93 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 13.8 years – 14.8 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- riverinesrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 30 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 9.8src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 2 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Aquaticsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the common merganser?
Photos of the common merganser
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the common merganser live?
Not recorded
What is the common merganser?
The common merganser or goosander (Mergus merganser) is a large sea duck of rivers and lakes in forested areas of Europe, Asia, and North America. The common merganser eats mainly fish. It nests in holes in trees. The name "common merganser" is used in North America, while "goosander" is used in Eurasia.
From the Wikipedia article “Common merganser” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common_merganser&oldid=1374111083), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the common merganser sound like?
Is the common merganser endangered?
The common merganser is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the common merganser classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderAnseriformes
- familyAnatidae
- genusMergus
- SpeciesMergus merganser Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms Merganser raii, Mergus gulo, Mergus rubricapilla, Mergus variabilis
Other names and names in other languages (96)
- Big fish-duckEnglish
- Big pond-sheldrakeEnglish
- Big sawbillEnglish
- Big sheldrakeEnglish
- Dun-diverEnglish
- GoosanderEnglish
- GoosanderEnglish
- بلقشة شائعةArabic
- بط غواص شائعArabic
- Mergo granAragonese
- merguyu grandeAsturian
- Böyük pazdimdikAzerbaijani
- БелеBashkir
- Вялікі савукBelarusian
- Крахаль вялікіBelarusian
- Вялiкi савукBelarusian
- Голям нирецBulgarian
- সরুঠোঁট ডুবুরি হাঁসBangla
- Heskenneg brasBreton
- bec de serra grosCatalan
- Пысӑк крохальChuvash
- morčák velkýCzech
- Hwyaid DanheddogWelsh
- hwyaden ddanheddogWelsh
- stor skalleslugerDanish
- GänsesägerGerman
- ΧηνοπρίστηςGreek
- granda merĝoEsperanto
- Mergo mayorSpanish
- Serreta grandeSpanish
- jääkoskelEstonian
- Zerra handiBasque
- مرگوس بزرگPersian
- isokoskeloFinnish
- TannontFaroese
- Grand HarleFrench
- Grand bec-scieFrench
- harle bièvreFrench
- Grutte SeachbekWestern Frisian
- SíoltaIrish
- TumaireIrish
- síolta mhórScottish Gaelic
- lach fhiacailleachScottish Gaelic
- Lach fhiachailleachScottish Gaelic
- lachan-fiacailleachScottish Gaelic
- Sìolta bheagScottish Gaelic
- Thunnag eeacklaghManx
- מרגון גדולHebrew
- nagy bukóHungarian
- Բադ սղոցակտուց մեծArmenian
- GulöndIcelandic
- smergo maggioreItalian
- カワアイサJapanese
- Үлкен бейнарықKazakh
- 비오리Korean
- Hos dynsakCornish
- Grousse SeeërLuxembourgish
- didysis dančiasnapisLithuanian
- sx̌ahuslut
- sx̌aʔuslut
- lielā gauraLatvian
- Tma’qniMi'kmaw
- голем северен нуркачMacedonian
- Хумхин нугасMongolian
- laksandNorwegian Bokmål
- grote zaagbekDutch
- AnzigOjibwa
- GueufePicard
- nurogęśPolish
- tracz nurogęśPolish
- عام مرگانسرWestern Panjabi
- merganso-grandePortuguese
- ferestraş mareRomanian
- Ferestraș mareRomanian
- ferestraşul mareRomanian
- большой крохальRussian
- или керкуль (устар.)Russian
- Великый крохальRusyn
- Үрүҥ улунYakut
- GussagoalsiNorthern Sami
- stuorragoalsiNorthern Sami
- suovragoalsiNorthern Sami
- potápač veľkýSlovak
- veliki žagarSlovenian
- srednji žagarSlovenian
- zhytësi i mesëmAlbanian
- Veliki ronacSerbian
- Велики ронацSerbian
- Велики ронац/Veliki ronacSerbian
- storskrakeSwedish
- buyuk tarakdisTurkish
- büyük tarakdişTurkish
- Крех великийUkrainian
- 普通秋沙鸭Chinese
- 川秋沙Chinese
- 川秋沙〔普通秋沙〕Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the common merganser
Other species in the same genus Mergus.
Red-breasted merganser
Mergus serrator
Brazilian merganser
Mergus octosetaceus
Chinese merganser
Mergus squamatus
Auckland merganser
Mergus australis
CompareCommon merganser vs Red-breasted merganserCommon merganser vs Brazilian merganserCommon merganser vs Chinese merganserCommon merganser vs Auckland merganser
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the common merganser?
The common merganser is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup, belonging to the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes.
How heavy is the common merganser?
An adult Common merganser weighs 1.451 kg, with values from 1.232 to 1.709 kg reported by our sources. Its wingspan is 93 cm.
What does the common merganser eat?
The common merganser is an aquatic predator and a carnivore.
Is the common merganser endangered?
No. The common merganser is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does the common merganser live?
The common merganser has a lifespan of 13.8 years, with up to 14.83 years reported by our sources.
How many eggs does the common merganser lay?
The common merganser has a clutch size of 9.8 and lays 1 clutch per year. Incubation lasts 30 days.
Is the common merganser migratory?
Yes, the common merganser is migratory. It is associated with riverine habitats.
Who named the common merganser?
The common merganser was named Mergus merganser by Linnaeus, 1758. Other English names include Goosander, Dun-diver, Big sawbill, Big fish-duck and Big sheldrake.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Common merganser (Mergus merganser). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-merganser
“Common merganser (Mergus merganser).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-merganser.
@misc{common_merganser_2026,
title = {Common merganser (Mergus merganser)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-merganser},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}