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The Common Merganser is the largest and the most abundant species of the three merganser species found in Canada. It breeds across Canada, wherever trees are large enough to support suitable nesting cavities. The national population is thought to have remained relatively stable since the 1970s. However the population size and trends for mergansers are not reliably known because aerial surveys of breeding birds do not differentiate among the three different species of merganser. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
The most important factor limiting population size and breeding distribution of the Common Merganser is probably the availability of suitable nesting cavities; while fish availability can also play a role locally. In recently or historically logged regions, forestry practices may have reduced availability of cavities for nesting. Lake acidification and associated declines in fish populations might have also reduced food availability and overall habitat quality in some regions (Pearce et al. 2015). Due to their trophic level, Common Mergansers are vulnerable to contaminants (e.g. mercury, lead), and may be useful as a bioindicator for fish-bearing streams and lakes (Sea Duck Joint Venture Management Board 2008). Overall, mergansers are not heavily harvested by hunters. In Canada, they are hunted predominantly in the Atlantic Provinces, Quebec and Ontario.
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.