Common Merganser

Lifespan: Males live an average of 12 years, and females about 13 years.

Breeding: Lays up to 10 eggs on the average. Each egg takes about 1.5 days to lay, while the incubation lasts 32 days. Egg laying begins in mid-April, in 2 to 4 weeks after the pair arrives at the breeding site. Nest building takes about 6 weeks. The nest is a hollow at the bottom of a cavity or crevice lined with fluff, or sometimes grass, for the laying period.

Appearance: The male has a black head with a green sheen and without a crest. The beak is red, tapering towards the tip, which is curved downwards. The body is white to creamy in winter and acquires an orange-pink hue in spring. In flight, a wide white base of the wings is visible. The female is similar to the female of the Red-breasted Merganser but differs in a larger size, the shape of the beak and a darker brown head with a long crest. In flight, the white wing speculum and light grey front part of the wings are visible.