How to Identify aHooded Merganser
Lophodytes cucullatus · 15.8–19.3 in (40–49 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Black head with a white fan-shaped crest, black back, rusty sides and two black bars on a white chest.
Female
Gray-brown with a shaggy cinnamon crest and a dark bill.
Male photo: Rhododendrites / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Female photo: Rhododendrites / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Field marks
- Fan-shaped crest raised and lowered at will
- Thin, saw-toothed dark bill
- Two black bars down a white chest on the male
- Yellow eye on the male
Similar species
What it sounds like
A low, rolling, frog-like croak from the male in display; both sexes are otherwise quiet.
Behaviour that gives it away
Has a third eyelid that works like goggles, letting it chase fish underwater with its eyes open.
Habitat & range
Wooded ponds, beaver swamps, rivers and quiet backwaters across much of the United States.
When you'll see it
Depending on where in eastern, central and western North America you are, it is present all year and a winter visitor.
What it eats
Small fish, crayfish and aquatic insects caught in underwater pursuit.
Did you know?
It nests in tree cavities, and females will lay eggs in each other’s nests, producing clutches far larger than one duck could raise.
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