Hooded Merganser

The Hooded Merganser is a small duck and is the only member of the genus Lophodytes.

The Hooded Merganser is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

The Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) is a small duck and is the only member of the genus Lophodytes. Hooded Mergansers have a crest at the back of the head which can be expanded or contracted. In adult males, this crest has a large white patch, the head is black and the sides of the duck are reddish brown. The adult female has a reddish crest, with much of the rest of the head and body a greyish-brown. More

Hooded Merganser is a culinary and architectural masterpiece that straddles Okanagan Lake to offer panoramic views of the lake and mountains. . Inside, the décor is luxurious, the atmosphere is casual and the menu diverse yet surprisingly reasonable. Traditional fare, including salads and burgers starts at $7.50, while appetizers, including sticky Korean ribs and Edamame soy beans steamed in butter, range from $5 to $8.50.. . More

Description: The hooded merganser is the smallest of the three merganser species occurring in North America. Male hooded mergansers have a large white crest surrounded by black. The top of the head, neck and back are all black, and the chest, breast and belly are white. Wavy black lines can be seen on the tawny sides and flanks. The hindback, rump and tail are dark brown. The long, narrow, serrated bill is black. More

Hooded Merganser Range MapView dynamic map of eBird sightings Field MarksHelp - * Male breedingPopOutZoom In Male breeding * Crest may be raised (pictured) or lowered * © William L. More

A quiet, secretive duck, the Hooded Merganser is the smallest of the North American mergansers, about the same size as the Wood Duck. Hooded Mergansers are sexually dimorphic. Males are a striking combination of black, white, and reddish brown. The head, neck, and back are black, the rump is gray, and the tail is dark, grayish brown. The chest, breast, and belly are white, and there are two irregular black marks on the sides of the breast. The sides and flanks are tawny or reddish brown. More

The Hooded Merganser is in the family Anatidae. This family is made up of ducks and duck-like waterfowl. The members of this family share adaptations to life on the water including webbed feet, flattened bills, and feathers with special oils to prevent water absorption. The Hooded Merganser’s specific name, cucullatus comes from the Latin words “cucullus” meaning hood and “atus” meaning provided with. Thus, cucullatus means provided with a hood. More

Hooded Mergansers are the only merganser that lives (breeds and winters) exclusively in North America. In the past, they were found throughout the continent, including mountainous areas, wherever suitable habitats existed. Today, they are most common in the Great Lakes region and eastern Canada but are also found in the Pacific Northwest. Hooded Merganser Range Map The habitat preferences of Hooded Mergansers are very similar to those of Wood Ducks. More

The hooded merganser is a commonly encountered species that breeds along the Tittabawassee River and can often be seen foraging along the river. Our research aims to determine the exposure of the hooded merganser population that resides within the Tittabawassee River floodplain to site-specific contaminants, specifically dioxins and furans. Hooded mergansers were chosen as a representative species of the aquatic food chains because they forage primarily on fish. Hooded mergansers are obligate cavity nesters (i.e. More

Hooded Merganser, Louis Agassiz Fuertes, Birds of America, 1917 Louis Agassiz Fuertes Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Genus: Lophodytes Species: cucullatus La. anser goose La. forma form, shape, kind Gr. anous foolish La. anas duck Gr. lophos crest Gr. cucullus hood La. cuculatus hooded About 19 inches long. More

Bent Life History for the Hooded Merganser - the common name and sub-species reflect the nomenclature in use at the time the description was written. More

Hooded Mergansers have a crest that, like a fan, can be spread or closed. Like other mergansers, it has a narrow, serrate bill. The male in breeding plumage is distinctive, with olive-brown sides and a black back accented with white stripes down the middle of a few long feathers. His breast is white with two black bars on each side. The black border surrounding the white crest extends to the face, which is punctuated with a yellow eye. More

The Hooded Merganser is the smallest of the three species of mergansers, also known as saw-bills or fish-ducks, found in North America. All mergansers have slender elongated serrated bills tipped with a hooked nail. These bills are ideally suited for capturing and controlling the slippery fish that make up a large part of their diet. They are extremely agile swimmers and divers but awkward on land because their legs are set well back on their bodies. Hooded Mergansers are highly sexually dimorphic. More

Excepting the Smew or White Nun, the Hooded Merganser is the handsomest of its family. Its broad and rounded crest of pure white, with an edging of jetty black, and which it closes or spreads out at pleasure, renders the male of this species conspicuous on the waters to which it resorts. The activity of its motions, the rapidity of its flight, and its other habits, contribute to render it a pleasing object to the student of nature, not less than to the sportsman. More

Hooded MerganserThe hooded merganser, Lophodytes cucullatus, is the smallest of the three species of mergansers, which are also known as sawbills or fish ducks. A secretive duck about the same size as a wood duck, the merganser has an elongated, serrated bill with a hook at the tip, which enables it to capture its prey. It usually reaches an adult length of 16 to 19 inches, with a wingspan of 26 inches, and weighs about 1.5 pounds. More

Hooded MerganserThe Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) is a small sized duck and is the only member of the genus Lophodytes (Reichenbach, 1853). A species of fossil duck from the Late Pleistocene of Vero Beach, Florida, was described as Querquedula floridana (a genus now included in Anas), but upon reexamination turned out to be a species closely related to the Hooded Merganser; it is now named Lophodytes floridanus, but the exact relationship between this bird and the modern species is unknown. More

this reason, the current evaluation status of the Hooded Merganser is Least Concern. More

Female hooded mergansers have a gray-brown head and neck with a reddish-brown crest. Gray pervades their neck, chest, sides, and flanks, and brownish-black their back, rump, and tail. The upper bill is black edged with orange and the lower bill is yellow. The legs and feet are greenish in color and the iris is brown. DISTRIBUTION: Forested wetlands, brackish estuaries and tidal creeks are preferred wintering habitats. More

General DescriptionThe Hooded Merganser is a small (length 46 cm) duck with a thin, serrated bill and a puffy crest. The adult male has a black head with a large white patch on each side, a dark back, brown flanks, and a white chest with two black bars on each side. The adult female is brownish overall, with a yellowish lower mandible. The first-winter male resembles the female. In flight, both sexes show black-and-white inner secondaries (Peterson 1980). More

The large head of the Hooded Merganser drake is black with a large fan-shaped white crest. The back is black with white stripes. The breast and belly are white and the flanks are brown. The hen has a brown crest and a grayish brown body. Goldeneyes, Buffleheads and Mergansers are easily confused. Overall size, shape and amount of white are the key field marks. Hooded Mergansers are medium in size and the drakes show large amounts of white on the head. More