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Goosander
Goosander
- THAT'S ME
- FACTS
- OBSERVATIONS
- SAFARI
- MULTIMEDIA
- ST.MARTINS
- QUIZ
Dear explorer, dear explorers,
It's me, the common merganser. Maybe you've seen me before, or maybe not. I am a duck bird that specializes in fishing. In Austria, the Seewinkel is not a breeding area for me, but a wintering area. I can often be found on the gravel lakes in the area, where I look for fish in the clearest possible water.
So, enough talk now! The St. Martins outdoor team has put together a lot of interesting facts about me in a compact form. Have fun reading!
All the best, your goosander
Header image: © Quartl, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Image credit: © Bengt Nyman, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Worth knowing
- Wingspan: 82-97 cm
- Weight: approx. 1000-1700 g
- Nest: breeds in tree hollows, rock niches, sometimes also in buildings
- Eggs: usually 7-14 eggs
- Breeding season: mid-April to early August
- Age: maximum age of 14-15 years
Appearance
Image credit: © Tony Hisgett, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The common merganser is a comparatively massive duck bird with a long body. Its red bill is narrow and pointed and bent downwards like a hook at the end. The male's head is black with a green tinge. The neck is white and the underside is predominantly white to salmon pink. The upper side is black, the back and tail are gray. The female has a dark reddish-brown head and a white throat area. The plumage is otherwise rather grayish.
Reproduction
Image credit: Quartl, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The breeding season is from mid-April to early August and they only breed once a year. Goosanders have a monogamous seasonal marriage and are cave breeders. In spring, the females look for suitable tree cavities to build their nests, which they pad with down. However, crevices in rocks and hollows in banks are also accepted. Ideal breeding grounds are old tree stands on the banks of fish-rich waters. The breeding period is between 30 and 35 days and the young are nest fledglings. Just one day after hatching, the young, lured by their mother, climb to the flight hole and jump down to the ground with spread wings and feet, where the mother immediately leads them to the breeding water. The young birds can immediately swim and dive well. The males do not participate in the rearing.
Food
The goosander's diet consists mainly of smaller fish up to 10 cm in length. The prey is located visually, the maximum diving depth is approx. 10 meters. With their hooked beak and saw teeth, they can hold the fish well. A goosander eats about 300 g of fish per day.
Voice
Goosanders are not particularly vocal birds. The male is known to make two different mating calls, both of which are quiet. With its beak raised, it occasionally calls "auig-a" and also emits a high, croaking and bell-like sounding "rüh-roh". The female responds to the male's mating calls with a short "aik-aik".
Distribution
Depending on the location of the breeding area, the common merganser is both a resident bird and a migratory bird that moves south in winter. The north-eastern populations in particular often migrate longer distances south in winter. The breeding areas are generally located in northern Europe, northern Asia and North America. There is a population of breeding goosanders along the rivers on the northern edge of the Alps and therefore also in Austria.
Hazards
The overall global population of the common merganser is currently not endangered. In Austria, the species is currently showing a positive population trend, but is still considered endangered. The preservation of the remaining free-flowing stretches of our rivers, consideration for human recreational use and acceptance by the fishing industry are a prerequisite for the continued positive development of the population.
Where to find
Image credit: © Gérard Meyer from Schlierbach, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The best viewing conditions in Seewinkel are in late autumn and especially in winter, when common mergansers migrate through or overwinter.
They are almost never seen on the soda lakes typical of Seewinkel . You have much better chances at Lake Neusiedl itself and especially at the man-made gravel lakes in the area. With a bit of luck, one or two common mergansers can be seen hunting fish there during the cold season.
Safari
You have a very good chance of spotting goosanders, especially on a winter birdwatching trip. In addition to the common mergansers, there are many other bird species that are easy to spot in winter. The Seewinkel is not only an important wintering area for the common merganser.
A video with special content about the common merganser
Around St. Martins
Image credit: © Richard Bartz, Munich aka Makro Freak, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
One of the most reliable places in Seewinkel to observe goosanders are the two gravel lakes right next to the St. Martins thermal baths & Lodge. Every winter, goosanders gather here to spend the cold season on the fish-rich lakes and return to their breeding grounds in spring. It is therefore worth taking a look at the lakes in winter, as it is not unlikely that a goosander will be spotted.
