Common Merganser

Mergus merganser

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderAnseriformes (Waterfowl)
FamilyAnatidae (Ducks, Geese, and Swans)
GenusMergus (Typical Mergansers)
SpeciesMergus merganser (Common Merganser)

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

at Vanoise National Park

3 Verified sightings at Vanoise National Park From 2019 to 2026

26,492 Verified sightings across all 68 parks From 2019 to 2026

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the 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.

The first formal description of the common merganser was written by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae. He introduced the current binomial name Mergus merganser. The genus name is a Latin word used by Pliny and other Roman authors to refer to an unspecified waterbird, and merganser is derived from mergus and anser, Latin for "goose". In 1843 John James Audubon used the name "Buff-breasted Merganser" in addition to "goosander" in his book The Birds of America.

The three subspecies differ in only minor detail: It is 58–72 cm (23–28+1⁄2 in) long with a 78–97 cm (30+1⁄2–38 in) wingspan and a weight of 0.9–2.1 kg (2 lb 0 oz – 4 lb 10 oz); males are on average slightly larger than females, but with some overlap. Like other species in the genus Mergus, it has a crest of longer head feathers, but these usually... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Vanoise National Park

Anas platyrhynchos

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Aythya fuligula

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Anas crecca

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

Aythya ferina

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data

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

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Katmai National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~70%
2	Isle Royale National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~60%
3	Plitvice Lakes National Park	🇭🇷 Croatia	~40%
4	Grand Teton National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~40%
5	Yellowstone National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~40%
6	Pacific Rim National Park Reserve	🇨🇦 Canada	~30%
7	Great Bear Rainforest	🇨🇦 Canada	~20%
8	Glacier National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
9	Bavarian Forest National Park	🇩🇪 Germany	~20%
10	Triglav National Park	🇸🇮 Slovenia	~20%
11	Voyageurs National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
12	Banff National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~20%
13	Redwood National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
14	Cairngorms National Park	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	~10%
15	Chitwan National Park	🇳🇵 Nepal	~10%
16	Jasper National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~10%
17	Riding Mountain National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~10%
18	Wood Buffalo National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~10%
19	Kenai Fjords National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
20	Snowdonia National Park	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	~10%
21	Gros Morne National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~10%
22	Cape Breton Highlands National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~10%
23	Wrangell-St. Elias National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
24	Yosemite National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
25	Olympic National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
26	Zion National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
27	Thingvellir National Park	🇮🇸 Iceland	~10%
28	Biebrza National Park	🇵🇱 Poland	~10%
29	Vatnajokull National Park	🇮🇸 Iceland	~10%
30	Acadia National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
31	Nikko National Park	🇯🇵 Japan	~10%
32	Gauja National Park	🇱🇻 Latvia	~10%
33	Kluane National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~10%
34	Rocky Mountain National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
35	Point Pelee National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
36	Royal Manas National Park	🇧🇹 Bhutan	<5%
37	Shenandoah National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
38	Great Smoky Mountains National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
39	Wadden Sea National Park	🇩🇪 Germany	<5%
40	Manas National Park	🇮🇳 India	<5%
41	Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
42	Royal Bardia National Park	🇳🇵 Nepal	<5%
43	Grand Canyon National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
44	Białowieża National Park	🇵🇱 Poland	<5%
45	Elk Island National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
46	Fertő-Hanság National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	<5%
47	Kiskunság National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	<5%
48	Denali National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
49	Saguaro National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
50	Namdapha National Park	🇮🇳 India	<5%
51	Channel Islands National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
52	El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	<5%
53	Joshua Tree National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
54	Death Valley National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
55	Gates of the Arctic National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data
56	Ecrins National Park	🇫🇷 France	Insufficient data
57	Khangchendzonga National Park	🇮🇳 India	Insufficient data
58	Jiuzhaigou National Park	🇨🇳 China	Insufficient data
59	Vanoise National Park	🇫🇷 France	Insufficient data
60	Hortobágy National Park	🇭🇺 Hungary	Insufficient data
61	Tatra National Park	🇸🇰 Slovakia	Insufficient data
62	Celestún Biosphere Reserve	🇲🇽 Mexico	Insufficient data
63	Jim Corbett National Park	🇮🇳 India	Insufficient data
64	Bandhavgarh National Park	🇮🇳 India	Insufficient data
65	Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park	🇲🇳 Mongolia	Insufficient data
66	Kaziranga National Park	🇮🇳 India	Insufficient data
67	Big Bend National Park	🇺🇸 United States	Insufficient data
68	Pyrénées National Park	🇫🇷 France	Insufficient data

← Back to Vanoise National Park

Common Merganser

About the Common Merganser

Closest Relatives at Vanoise National Park

Mallard

Tufted Duck

Common Teal

Common Pochard

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found