Hooded Merganser

Description:

The Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) is a small duck and is the only member of the genus Lophodytes. Hooded Mergansers have a crest at the back of the head which can be expanded or contracted. In adult males, this crest has a large white patch, the head is black and the sides of the duck are reddish-brown. The adult female has a reddish crest, with much of the rest of the head and body a greyish-brown. The Hooded Merganser has a sawbill but is not classified as a typical merganser. Hooded Mergansers are the second smallest species of merganser, with only the Smew of Europe and Asia being smaller.

Habitat:

These birds were flushed from the Kathwood (Stork) Ponds at the Silver Bluff Audubon Center near Jackson, SC. It is also the only Merganser whose native habitat is restricted to North America. Their preferred habitat for breeding is in swamps and wooded ponds of the northern half of the United States and southern Canada. They prefer to nest in tree cavities near water, but will use Wood Duck nesting boxes if available and unoccupied. Hooded Mergansers are short-distance migrants, and winter in the United States wherever winter temperatures allow for ice-free conditions on ponds, lakes and rivers.

Notes:

These ducks feed by diving and swimming under water to collect small fish, crustaceans and aquatic insects. They find their prey underwater by sight.