Hooded Merganser Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  Hooded Mergansers are small ducks with a thin bill and a fan-shaped, collapsible crest that makes the head look oversized and oblong. In flight, the wings are thin and the tail is relatively long and rounded.

  Relative Size

  Smaller than a Red-breasted Merganser; larger than a Bufflehead.

  crow-sized

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 15.8-19.3 in (40-49 cm)
    • Weight: 16.0-31.0 oz (453-879 g)
    • Wingspan: 23.6-26.0 in (60-66 cm)

  © Ryan Schain / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Adult male Hooded Mergansers are black above, with a white breast and rich chestnut flanks. The black head has a large white patch that varies in size when the crest is raised or lowered, but is always prominent. Females and immatures are gray and brown, with warm tawny-cinnamon tones on the head.

• Behavior

  Hooded Mergansers dive to catch aquatic insects, crayfish, and small fish. Males court females by expanding their white, sail-like crests and making very low, gravelly, groaning calls. Hooded Mergansers fly distinctively, with shallow, very rapid wingbeats.
• Habitat

  Look for Hooded Mergansers on small bodies of freshwater. In summer, these small ducks nest in holes in trees, often near freshwater ponds or rivers. For winter, they move to larger bodies of freshwater, marshes, and protected saltwater bays.