All birds Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl
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Hooded Merganser
Lophodytes cucullatus
Here November to February.
Look for
- Males have a big white crest with a black edge around it.
- The male can raise his crest up high or lay it flat, so his head seems to change shape.
- Females are dark all over, with a mostly dark bill. A bushy, paler crest sticks out from the back of the head.
A little about it
Hooded Mergansers are winter ducks here. You can find them from November to February. They come late in fall and head back early in spring.
Mergansers are the only ducks in North America that mostly eat fish. A Hooded Merganser dives and swims with its feet. It finds its food by looking, and its eyes are made to see well underwater. It eats small fish and crayfish, plus some water bugs.
They nest in holes in trees near water, most often 10 to 50 feet up. The mother lays 10 to 12 white eggs. Within a day of hatching, the babies climb up to the hole and jump to the ground while she calls to them from below.
These ducks need big old trees by the water for nests. When lots of those trees were lost, there were fewer Hooded Mergansers. Nest boxes have helped, even ones put up for Wood Ducks. Now their numbers seem to be going up.
Fun fact
A Hooded Merganser mom sometimes lays her eggs in another mom's nest. She may even use a Wood Duck's nest.
When it's here
- January: here
- February: here
- March: a few
- April: a few
- May: not here
- June: not here
- July: not here
- August: not here
- September: not here
- October: a few
- November: here
- December: here
Taller bars mean more sightings. Most often seen in November.
How big
16 to 19 inches. About as big as a crow. It's the smallest merganser.
Where to look
Ponds, lakes, and rivers with woods around them, and swamps with trees. These ducks are easy to miss, so look carefully.
People have spotted it at Martin Park Nature Center, Lake Hefner.
Could it be something else?
Bufflehead
The male also has a big white patch on a black head. A Bufflehead is smaller, with a round head and white sides. The merganser's white crest has a black edge, and he can raise it up or lay it flat.
Common Merganser
The female has a gray body, a bright rusty head, a sharp white throat, and a red bill. A female Hooded Merganser is smaller and darker all over, with a mostly dark bill.
More photos
Where these facts come from
- Audubon Guide to North American Birds
- When it's here: Sightings shared on iNaturalist in the 8 counties, all years.