Hooded Merganser

The Hooded Merganser is the smallest of North America's mergansers and one of its most striking waterfowl. Breeding males have a large, fan-shaped black-and-white crest that can be raised into a bold white patch or flattened down, a black back, chestnut flanks, and a slender dark bill. Females are subtler, warm grayish-brown with a shaggy cinnamon-tinged crest of their own.

Unlike the larger mergansers, Hooded Mergansers favor quiet, wooded ponds, swamps, and small lakes rather than open water, and their compact size and thin bill set them apart at a glance.

Key field marks

• Small size, thin black bill, and golden-yellow eye
• Breeding male: large white crest patch bordered in black, black back, chestnut-barred flanks, two black bars on the white breast
• Female: grayish body with a puffy cinnamon-brown crest
• Crest is raised and lowered at will, dramatically changing head shape

Similar species

Much smaller and more compact than the Common and Red-breasted Mergansers, with a proportionally shorter, thinner bill. Female Bufflehead and female Wood Duck can superficially suggest a female Hooded Merganser but lack the shaggy crest and thin serrated bill.

Hooded Mergansers breed across forested wetlands, wooded ponds, beaver ponds, and swamps in North America, nesting in tree cavities near water. They winter on similar sheltered freshwater habitats as well as quiet coastal bays and estuaries where ice-free water remains available. The species is largely restricted to North America, unlike the more widespread Common and Red-breasted Mergansers.

Behavior

Hooded Mergansers dive to hunt in clear, shallow water, sometimes using specialized eyesight adaptations that help them see underwater. Males perform courtship displays that dramatically expand and contract the crest.

Voice

Generally quiet; displaying males give a low, frog-like rolling croak, and females give a hoarse "gack" note.

Feeding

Small fish, crayfish, aquatic insects, and other invertebrates gleaned by underwater pursuit in clear ponds and streams.

Nesting

Nests in tree cavities or nest boxes near wooded wetlands; clutches typically hold 10-12 eggs. Ducklings leave the nest within a day of hatching, jumping down to follow the female to water.