Birdwatching - 1913 🐦

🦉 The common merganser (North American) or goosander (Eurasian) (Mergus merganser)

• Mergus (Greek) unidentified waterfowl mentioned in the texts of Pliny, Horace, and other ancient Roman authors
• merganser Greek: Mergus-Waterfowl, Anser-Goose

These ducks are larger in size than the mallards we are used to. Also, their behavior, beak shape and flight reveal them to be fishermen. By the way, while in the water, they take off with a running start.
They arrive early, around mid-April, when the river has opened up and melted from the ice. At these moments, you can observe how the male and female swim and fly together.

As I already said, they feed mainly on small fish. To do this, they look out for prey, and can lower their heads under the water to search, and then deftly dive after it.