[Length 25 in. Wingspan 34 in.]

Common Mergansers are duck-like birds with long thin bills. The male has a white body with some black on the back, and a dark, greenish head. The female has a pearly gray body, and a reddish head (with a shaggy crest) which contrasts sharply with its white breast (the similar female Red-breasted Merganser lacks the sharp contrast). Common Mergansers breed across southern Alaska, most of Canada, and the northwest US states. They winter along the southern coast of Alaska, the western and eastern coasts of Canada, and across most of the US except the southeastern and far southcentral states. This male Common Merganser was photographed at the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens on a Nikon D7100 camera. (Date: June 15, 2016)

[Length 25 in. Wingspan 34 in.]

This male Common Merganser was photographed along the Cache LaPoudre River near Estes Park, Colorado, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Ektachrome 800 film. (Date: June 1986)

[Length 18 in. Wingspan 24 in.]

Male Hooded Mergansers are the most strikingly patterned of the three types of mergansers found in North America. The male's white hood patch can be raised and lowered and is used in courtship display. Hooded Mergansers breed locally in wooded lakes and ponds throughout much of the eastern and far northwestern US, and southeastern and western Canada. They are often seen in small flocks during spring and fall migration and spend the winter along the eastern, western, and Gulf coasts of the US. This striking male, which may be a captive bird, was photographed in a small pond at a theme park in central Florida, USA. Photo taken with a 300 mm f4.5 ED Nikkor lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: January 1991)

[Length 18 in. Wingspan 24 in.]

This female Hooded Merganser was photographed at Lake Balmorhea, Balmorhea, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens + Nikkor TC20E II 2.0x Teleconverter (EFL=900mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: December 22, 2008)

[Length 18 in. Wingspan 24 in.]

This male Hooded Merganser was photographed at Lake Balmorhea, Balmorhea, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens + Nikkor TC20E II 2.0x Teleconverter (EFL=900mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: December 22, 2008)

[Length 18 in. Wingspan 24 in.]

This male Hooded Merganser was photographed at Lake Balmorhea, Balmorhea, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens + Nikkor TC20E II 2.0x Teleconverter (EFL=900mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: December 22, 2008)

[Length 18 in. Wingspan 24 in.]

This male Hooded Merganser was photographed at Lake Balmorhea, Balmorhea, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens + Nikkor TC14E II 1.4x Teleconverter (EFL=630mm) on a Nikon D300 camera. (Date: December 18, 2009)

[Length 18 in. Wingspan 24 in.]

This Hooded Merganser pair was photographed at Lake Balmorhea, Balmorhea, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a AF-S VR Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens + Nikkor TC14E II 1.4x Teleconverter (EFL=630mm) on a Nikon D300 camera. (Date: December 18, 2009)