Status in UK:
(A) Resident Breeder, Winter Visitor
Subspecies:merganser recorded in Britain (of 3 subsp. in the world)
.
Length:
62 cm
Wingspan:
90 cm
Weight:
M: 1.7 kg F: 1.3 kg
Scientific name from:
L.: mergus=a waterbird
and L.: mergus=a waterbird + anser=a goose
World Distribution:
BREEDS: n&c Eurasia, w&n North America, WINTERS: south to Mediterranean, Black Seas & c Mexico
Habitat:
Lakes, rivers, on migration estuaries
Diet:
Primarily fish, often pursued by swimming short distances
TitBit:
A young Goosander requires 33kg of fish to reach adulthood, and birds are shot (under licence) on several (mostly Scottish) rivers to protect angling interests, though how effective this is debated.
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
Wider Countryside Report
Regional Trends:
No regional trends available
Distribution:
No distribution maps available
British Population Size:
Summer:
2300 to 2900 pairs
in 1987
Winter:
12 thousand individuals
in 2004-09
Note: Best estimate
First Record:
1662
[Fossil evidence from
Wolstonian (penultimate) glaciation, c. 150,000 yr ago]
First Breeding Record:
Perthshire (and probably earlier) 1871
Conservation Status: GREEN
Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 GREEN 1996-2001 GREEN
Races of Concern:
merganser GREEN
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
Summer:
39 to 65 thousand pairs
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
WBD(II*), Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA
Other Names
Order:
Anseriformes
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