Mergus merganser
Common Merganser

These diving ducks have spike-like bills with saw-edged mandibles that are well adapted for feeding on a variety of fish species. Mergansers are usually found near wooded lakes, ponds and rivers, and occasionally they will frequent coastal bays and estuaries. The males and females of this species look remarkably different. The males are predominantly white with green head plumage. The females, as shown above, are mostly grey with a rufus head. The female shown here was photographed as she escorted her nine ducklings through the Southern reaches of Bamfield Inlet, British Columbia.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology - more about the Common Merganser

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