COMMON MERGANSER, COLONEL SAMUEL SMITH PARK, TORONTO, ON

    This was idendified as a male Common Merganser in eclipse or nonbreeding plumage (rather than a similar looking  Red-breasted Merganser) as follows:

• The bill near the base is thick vs. the thin bill of the Red-breasted Merganser.
• The brownish head contrasts sharply with the white chin, unlike the Red-breasted which is much more diffuse.
• This Common Merganser has the dark back and ragged crest on the head of a male.