COLOURING CORNER An excerpt from Island Wings by Connie Gaudet, Geoff Hogan, and Gary Schneider

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Common Merganser

The Common Merganser is a duck that eats fish. Its thin red bill has numerous serrations that act like tiny teeth to help hold its slippery prey. These beautiful ducks are plentiful on P.E.I. in winter when they congregate on open water, often around causeways. The male is especially colourful, with a shiny, greenish—blackish head and a black back. The lower neck and sides are creamy white with just the slightest hint of pink to be seen. In flight, the large white wing patches are obvious, as are its trailing red legs and feet. Common Mergansers usually look for a cavity in a tree to place their nest but will sometimes nest among bushes on the ground.

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