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Hooded Merganser
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| Hooded Merganser, male
© Jim
Flynn/Root Resources Courtesy of eNature |
Species
description provided by eNature
Description
16-19" (41-48 cm). A small duck with a slender pointed
bill. Male has white, fan-shaped, black-bordered crest, blackish
body with dull rusty flanks, and white breast with 2 black stripes
down side. Female is dull gray-brown, with warmer brown head and
crest. Both sexes show white wing patch in flight.
Voice
Hoarse grunts and chatters.
Habitat
Breeds on wooded ponds, lakes, and rivers; winters in coastal
marshes and inlets.
Nesting
8-12 white eggs in a down-lined cup in a natural tree cavity
or sometimes in a fallen hollow log.
Range
Breeds from southern Alaska south to Oregon and Montana,
and from Manitoba and Nova Scotia south to Arkansas and northern
Alabama. Winters near coast from British Columbia south to California
and from New England south to Florida and Texas.
Discussion
The smallest of our mergansers, hoodeds are most often
seen along rivers and in estuaries during the fall and winter. They
are usually found in pairs or in flocks of up to a dozen; when startled,
they are among the fastest-flying of our ducks. Males perform a
beautiful courtship display and, once mated, swim energetically
around the female in further ritual displays. Hoodeds feed chiefly
on small fish, which they pursue in long, rapid, underwater dives,
but also take small frogs, newts, tadpoles, and aquatic insects.
