Merganser Diet

Mergansers, also known as fish-ducks, are small ducks that normally feed on fish, along with other diet staples. The three species of mergansers are members of the Anatidae family.

  1. Hooded Merganser

    • The hooded merganser's diet consists of fish, crayfish, clams, frogs, insect larvae and aquatic insects. This species' diet is more diverse than other types of mergansers. Hooded merganser ducklings eat mostly insects.

    Common Merganser

    • Common mergansers are the largest of the merganser species. Their diet varies based on their geographic location, but they subsist mostly on small fish, such as salmon, trout, suckers and stickleback. They also eat small mammals and birds.

    Red-breasted Merganser

    • Like other mergansers, the red-breasted merganser eats aquatic insects, frogs and small fish. They also eat crustaceans.