The common merganser winters in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, on inland water bodies as well as saltwater creeks and bays.
Common mergansers sometimes feed together with hooded and red-breasted mergansers, diving ducks, sea ducks, cormorants, grebes, and loons.
Like other mergansers, this species is equipped with a serrated bill for catching fish.
Females of the species can be distinguished from other mergansers by their large size, reddish heads, and silver backs.
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