Hooded Merganser
Hooded Merganser
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The Hooded Merganser is a distinctive, medium-sized diving duck known for its collapsible, fan-shaped crest. Males display a dramatic black and white crest, bright yellow eyes, and contrasting black and white body patterns.
Where to spot
Breeds in forested wetlands across North America, from southern Canada through the eastern and northwestern United States, nesting in tree cavities. Winters widely across the southern United States and Mexico on freshwater ponds, rivers, and estuaries.
How to spot
Look for them on small, wooded ponds, slow rivers, and sheltered coves. Males are unmistakable with their prominent black and white crest, often raised. Females have a warm reddish-brown crest and a dark gray body. Both sexes have thin, serrated bills.
When to spot
Most easily observed during migration (spring and autumn) and throughout the winter months in their non-breeding range.
Where to spot
Breeds in forested wetlands across North America, from southern Canada through the eastern and northwestern United States, nesting in tree cavities. Winters widely across the southern United States and Mexico on freshwater ponds, rivers, and estuaries.
How to spot
Look for them on small, wooded ponds, slow rivers, and sheltered coves. Males are unmistakable with their prominent black and white crest, often raised. Females have a warm reddish-brown crest and a dark gray body. Both sexes have thin, serrated bills.
When to spot
Most easily observed during migration (spring and autumn) and throughout the winter months in their non-breeding range.
Credits:
Door Don Faulkner - Hooded Merganser, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51970613
Hooded Mergansers are highly skilled fish eaters, using their serrated bills to grasp slippery prey underwater. They can quickly expand and contract their crest during courtship and alarm.
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