The goosander (Eurasian) or common merganser (North American) (Mergus merganser) is probably named from goose + -ander as in dialect bergander ‘shelduck’ (the colouring of the male goosander resembling that of the shelduck). The genus name is Latin for an unspecified waterbird, and merganser is derived from mergus and anser, Latin for goose. A member of the sawbill family, so called because of its long, serrated bill, it feeds on fish and aquatic prey such as molluscs, crustaceans, worms, insect larvae, and amphibians. The male is white, with dark green heads, black backs and long, red, hooked bills. The female is grey, with a white throat and a shaggy crest of longer feathers at the back of the reddish-brown head. A young goosander will look like adult female, except it will also show a short black-edged white stripe between the eye and bill. Goosanders nest in holes in trees which is why they prefer inland habitats, often close to mature forests.
