common merganser

common merganser
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Lovely bird, he looks to be the king of the castle, on his rock, surveying his kingdom!

Thanks a lot Stephen Slater...

Hang on Studio Wall
01/04/2015
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PAKHI DEKHUN PAKHI CHINUN (Observe the Bird and recognize)....COMMON MERGANSER....WATERCOLOUR...A4...2013....[From a PHOTOGRAPH of ASISH INAMDAR]....The Common Merganser (North American) or Goosander (Eurasian) (Mergus merganser) is a large duck, of rivers and lakes of forested areas of Europe, northern and central Asia, and North America. It eats fish and nests in holes in trees. John James Audubon called this bird the "Buff-breasted Merganser" in his book The Birds of America.[dubious – discuss] It is 58–72 cm (23–28 in) long with a 78–97 cm (31–38 in) wingspan, and a weight of 0.9–2.1 kg (2.0–4.6 lb); males 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 lie smoothly rounded behind the head, not normally forming an erect crest. Adult males in breeding plumage are easily distinguished, the body white with a variable salmon-pink tinge, the head black with an iridescent green gloss, the rump and tail grey, and the wings largely white on the inner half, black on the outer half. Females, and males in "eclipse" (non-breeding plumage, July to October) are largely grey, with a reddish-brown head, white chin, and white secondary feathers on the wing. Juveniles (both sexes) are similar to adult females but also show a short black-edged white stripe between the eye and bill. The bill and legs are red to brownish-red, brightest on adult males, dullest on juveniles. There are three subspecies, differing in only minor detail: M. m. merganser Linnaeus, 1758. Throughout northern Europe and northern Asia. M. m. orientalis Gould, 1845 (syn. M. m. comatus Salvadori, 1895). Central Asian mountains. Slightly larger than M. m. merganser, with a slenderer bill. M. m. americanus Cassin, 1852. North America. Bill broader-based than in than M. m. merganser, and a black bar crossing the white inner wing (visible in flight) on males. Overall, the species is not t

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