Where’s Wildlife · Bird Field Guide
Hooded Merganser
Lophodytes cucullatus
Pronounced (approx.): lof-oh-DYE-teez kyoo-koo-LAY-tus
A small diving duck whose raised crest can dramatically change the shape of its head.
Three Identification Clues
A thin, straight bill and a fan-shaped crest on a small duck.
Adult males show a bold white head patch, white chest, and chestnut sides.
Females are gray-brown with a warmer cinnamon-brown crest.
Field Photographs
Showing 8 of 17 photographs.
Beyond the first impression
Plumage & Identification
One crest, several silhouettes
An adult male can expand the white head patch into a tall fan or compress it into a narrow shape behind the eye. Chestnut sides, a white chest, and black markings complete the pattern. Follow the same bird for a moment before comparing two photographs with different head shapes. [1]
The slender bill is a strong clue
Females have a warm cinnamon crest above a gray-brown body. Young males can show a mixture of plumages. Compare the narrow bill and longer tail with our Bufflehead guide, rather than identifying either species from a head patch alone. [1]
Life history
How This Bird Lives
Where to look
Check wooded ponds, sheltered river reaches, and beaver wetlands. Migration and winter also bring these ducks to larger waters and protected coastal bays. Small groups may feed near open water along an ice edge. [2]
Food & foraging
Hooded Mergansers propel themselves underwater with their feet and locate prey by sight. Fish share the menu with crayfish, insects, and other animals, giving this species a broader diet than many mergansers. Its narrow, serrated bill helps hold slippery prey. [2]
A first journey from a tree hole
The female selects an existing cavity, shapes a bowl in its loose material, and adds down. A clutch contains 5–13 eggs; the male leaves once incubation is underway. Suitable nest boxes can also be used. [2]
About a day after hatching, ducklings climb to the entrance and jump toward the calling female below. They then follow her to water. Watch from a distance and keep their route clear rather than trying to help a normal nest departure. [3]
Did you know?
A Closer Look at Hooded Mergansers
Eyes equipped for diving
These ducks adjust the focusing properties of their eyes underwater. A transparent third eyelid also protects the eye, helping a visually hunting bird work beneath the surface. [3]
A nest can have several mothers
Females sometimes add eggs to another duck's nest, including nests of other species. An unusually large clutch may therefore represent several females, connecting this bird with the brood-parasitism story in our Cowbird guide. [3]
A duck with a froglike voice
A courting male can throw his head backward with the crest raised and give a low croaking call. Listening as well as watching adds another dimension to the display. [2]
Sources: [1] Cornell · Identification [2] Cornell · Life history [3] Cornell · Species overview
Range & Sightings
Seasonal Range
View Range Map ↗Recorded Observations
Observation records are not a complete seasonal range map.
iNaturalist observation map ↗