no 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



MERGANSER 

 Mergus americanus Cassin 



A. O. V. \ui7il)er ug See Color Plate lo 



Other Names. — American Goosander; American 

 Sheldrake; American Merganser; Greater Merganser; 

 Pond Sheldrake ; Big Sheldrake ; Fresh-water Shel- 

 drake ; Winter Sheldrake; Buff-breasted Sheldrake; 

 Buff-breasted Merganser; Fishing Duck; Fish Duck; 

 Saw-bill; Big Saw-bill; Break Horn; Dun Diver 

 (female); l\Iorocco-head (female). 



General Description. — Length, 25 inches. Adult 

 males have the head and upper parts greenish-black, 

 while the females and immature have the head red and 

 the upper parts gray; all have the under parts white. 

 Bill, cylindrical. 



Color. — Adult M.\le: Head and upper part of 

 neck, dark lustrous green ; upper parts, glossy black 

 shading to ashy-gray on rump and tail, this color run- 

 ning up back of neck acutely hut not reaching the green 

 of head; outer edge of shoulder and most of wing, 

 pure white, crossed by one black bar formed by bases 

 of greater coverts ; primaries and outer secondaries, 

 black, the latter shading to white and black inwardly ; 

 under parts, pure white, shaded along sides with pale 

 pinkish where marbled with dusky ; bill and feet, ver- 

 milion ; hook of bill, black with some of the same color 



on ridge; iris, red. Adult Female; Head and neck, 

 reddish-brown ; the slight crest more brownish ; chin, 

 throat, and under parts, white ; upper parts, ashy-gray, 

 the feathers slightly darker centrally; white of wing 

 restricted to a patch formed by secondaries and greater 

 coverts ; primaries, dusky ; bill, reddish, paler at base 

 with dusky ridge; feet, orange with dusky webs; 

 iris, yellowish-red. Immature: Similar to adult 

 female. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest: In hollow tree, on ground, 

 or in crevices of rocks; constructed of moss, leaves, 

 and grass, and warmly lined with down. Eggs: 6 to 10, 

 pale buffy. 



Distribution. — North America ; breeds from south- 

 ern Alaska across British America to southern Ungava 

 and Newfoundland, south to Oregon, South Dakota, 

 Minnesota, Michigan, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, 

 and northern New York, and in mountains south to 

 northern California, central Arizona, northern New 

 Mexico, and Pennsylvania (formerly) ; winters through- 

 out the greater part of its range south to northern 

 Lower California, northern Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, 

 Florida, and Bermuda. 



In the dead of winter when the " white death " the floods foam over the rocks of a broken rapid, 



covers the land and even the ice-bound waters, Here we may see a pair of large wild Ducks 



we may find here and there in the courses of the breasting the torrent, swimming and diving as 



larger New England rivers an open stretch where composedly in the turmoil of waters as if they 



Drawing by R, I. Brasher 



MERGANSER (1 nat. size) 

 A fresh-water bird, rarely seen on salt water. 



