Hooded Merganser
Lophodytes cucullatus

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Lophodytes

Audio for Species

Call

from Macaulay Library

Species Related Links

Additional Hooded Merganser Pictures

Description

Length: 15.7-19.3 in (40-49 cm) Weight: 16-31 oz (453-879 g ) Wingspan: 23.6-26 in (60-66 cm)

A compact diving duck, with long, pointed bill that has serrated edges . Second smallest of all Mergansers, the Smew being the smallest.

The male has yellow eyes. Black head and back, with a large white patch filling the crest and inclosed with a black edging. A white breast and belly, with black and white stripes at the forward portion of its burnt sienna flanks. A dark tail. The inner half of the upperwings are whitish, bordered by two dark bars.

The female has brown eyes. A grayish-brown head, neck, flanks, back, and upperwings with a paler breast. A lighter burnt sienna tinge to the crest , and a white belly.

Habitat, Range, and Feeding

They can be found in open waters, along the coasts and forested wetlands during winter and migration. They breed in the forested wetlands, like the Dungeness riparian corridor.

They nest in tree cavities or nest boxes; the female picks the nesting site. The female also constructs and maintains the nest; she uses only the debris already in the tree cavity to create a bowl. She will then pluck down from her belly to line the nest. The clutch size is 5 to 44 eggs (one female most likely will only lay 13 eggs, but other females may add to the clutch), that are white. Males abandon females shortly after incubation begins, and only the female provides care for the ducklings. Ducklings leave the nest within 24 hours of hatching. Right before they leave, the female checks the area around the nest, either from the cavity opening or from the water. The female will then call to the ducklings from the water below the cavity with a repetitive soft guttural tone. The female will stay with the brood up to five weeks before she leaves them alone.

The Hooded Merganser particularly likes crayfish, as well as other crustaceans, fish, and aquatic insects.