Hooded Merganser

Hooded Merganser, male, breeding plumage, crest raised, Iroquois NWR, NY

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Hooded Merganser, male, crest lowered, Iroquois NWR, NY

Hooded Merganser, female, Iroquois NWR , NY, May

Hooded Merganser, female, Iroquois NWR, NY

Hooded Merganser, male, non-breeding plumage

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A small fish-eating duck of wooded ponds, the Hooded Merganser nests in holes in trees. It is frequently seen on shallow waters where its only waterfowl companion is the Wood Duck.

Description

• Small to medium-sized duck.
• Long, narrow bill.
• Fluffy, fan-shaped crest.
• Male with large white patch in crest.

• Size: 40-49 cm (16-19 in)
• Wingspan: 60-66 cm (24-26 in)
• Weight: 453-879 g (15.99-31.03 ounces)

Sex Differences

Male boldly patterned with black and white crest, female smaller and grayish brown with shorter crest.

Sound

Silent except in courtship when male gives a deep rolling frog-like sound. Wings produce a loud whistling in flight.

Conservation Status

Populations appear stable.

Other Names

Harle Couronné (French)
Serreta capuchona (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• The Hooded Merganser is the second-smallest of the six living species of mergansers (only the Smew of Eurasia is smaller) and is the only one restricted to North America.

• Although up to 44 Common Merganser eggs have been found in one nest, one female probably does not lay more than about 13. Larger clutches result when more than one female lays eggs in a nest.

• The Hooded Merganser finds its prey underwater by sight. The merganser can actually change the refractive properties of its eyes to enhance its underwater vision. In addition, the nictating membrane (third eyelid) is very transparent and probably acts to protect the eye during swimming, just like a pair of goggles.

Sources used to construct this page:

Dugger, B. D., K. M. Dugger, and L. H. Fredrickson. 1994. Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus). In The Birds of North America, No. 98 (A. Poole, and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.