Hooded Merganser
Lophodytes cucullatus
- Class
- Bird
- Rarity
- Rare
- Observations
- 59,122
- Most observed in
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
The hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) is a species of fish-eating duck in the subfamily Anatinae. It is the only extant species in the genus Lophodytes. The genus name derives from the Greek language: lophos meaning 'crest', and dutes meaning 'diver'. The bird is striking in appearance; both sexes have crests that they can raise or lower, and the breeding plumage of the male is handsomely patterned and coloured. 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, and it also is the only merganser whose native habitat is restricted to North America.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Hooded merganser”.