Common merganser (Mergus merganser), Glacier National Park, 2014.

This large, long-bodied duck has long, thin wings and a very straight, narrow bill - which is very unlike the typical flat duck bill. Females, as you can see, have shaggy crests on the back of their heads. Males are easily recognizable by their gleaming white bodies and dark, irridescent-green heads. As the chicks grow up, females continue to take care of their chicks even though the chicks catch their own food from the very beginning! Chicks even begin diving for aquatic insects at about 12 days old. Males leave the family to gather in flocks with other males. These tight flocks feed together and court during the colder months. They even join with other diving ducks, like buffleheads, goldeneyes and other species of mergansers.