Hooded Merganser
Hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)
Help the hooded merganser: DONATE TODAY.
Hooded mergansers are one of the most secretive ducks in North America.
Appearance: When raised, the crest of the male's breeding plumage shows a large white patch bordered in black and when depressed shows a broad white stripe with a black edge. Eyes are yellow and his buffy sides have two black vertical stripes alongside a white chest. Female and immature male have backward slanting crests on their russet-brown heads and are dark grey overall. Thin separated bill, long tail and narrow wings.
Breeding: Less is known about their breeding and brood rearing of the hooded mergansers than most other ducks. Arrive on breeding grounds in early spring. Pairing begins on wintering grounds where the male performs an elaborate courtship display. Nest in tree cavities and man-made nest boxes. Lay seven to 13 creamy white eggs with one laid every second day.
Habitat: Hooded mergansers are found in densely wooded streams or small wetlands where there is little human disturbance or activity. Older forests are preferred. Winters on shallow freshwater and brackish bays, estuaries, tidal creeks and ponds as well as emergent marshes, wetlands and creeks.
Range: Two populations - one that breeds in central B.C. and the other in central Ontario and Quebec to the forest of Minnesota.
Diet: Consists of mainly small fishes, crustaceans, aquatic insects and amphibians.
Status and conservation issues: A crude estimate of the total population of mergansers is 300,000 to 600,000 birds.
Interesting facts: Highly weary of humans and human activity. Is the smallest of the three species of mergansers. Rides so low in the water that often you can only see its head.
