Common Merganser
Mergus merganser
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderAnseriformes
- FamilyAnatidae (Anàtids)
- GenusMergus (Typical Mergansers)
- SpeciesMergus merganser (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. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Gates of the Arctic National Park
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serrator
Greater Scaup
Aythya marila
Snow Goose
Anser caerulescens
Common Teal
Anas crecca
Surf Scoter
Melanitta perspicillata
American Wigeon
Mareca americana
Trumpeter Swan
Cygnus buccinator
American White-winged Scoter
Melanitta deglandi
Northern Pintail
Anas acuta
Tundra Swan
Cygnus columbianus
Ring-necked Duck
Aythya collaris
Bufflehead
Bucephala albeola
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Common Merganser at Gates of the Arctic National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there