Merganser, << muhr GAN suhr, >> is the name of a group of ducks that eat fish. Mergansers have straight narrow bills for grasping their food. Their bills also have notched edges, which is the reason mergansers are sometimes called sawbills. Mergansers are found in many parts of the world. The common, red-breasted, and hooded mergansers live in North America.
Mergansers have crests of feathers on their heads. The males are black and white, and the females are drab brown and gray. The common merganser has a glossy greenish-black head, a dark back, and white neck and sides. The red-breasted merganser is similar, but it has a cinnamon-red breast and a longer crest. The hooded merganser has a large black-and-white crest. All three species have white wing patches.
