|
|
The Hooded Merganser is a small and distinct duck. Males have a white, fan-shaped crest bordered in black. They have a black body, dull rusty flanks, and a white breast with 2 black stripes down the side. Females are grey-brown, with a brown head and crest. Both have a slender, pointed bill, and a white wing patch that remains visible during flight.
A migrating bird, they arrive in the Algonquin Highlands in early April, and are forced to the open waters of creeks and lakes. Here they perform their courtship displays to their females, continuing this ritual even after mating, by swimming around them energetically. Females will lay 8 to 12 white eggs in a down-lined nest, placed in a tree cavity or hollow fallen log. As soon as the water opens, the Hooded Mergansers will move to the many beaver ponds in the area, remaining unseen for much of the season. They remain in these ponds until they are once again forced to larger bodies of water due to freezing. It is only when these lakes begin to freeze in early December that they migrate south.
The Hooded Merganser preys mainly on small fish, as well as small frogs, newts, tadpoles, and aquatic insects. They catch their prey through long, rapid, underwater dives, grabbing hold with their slightly hooked and serrated bills. Sounds produced by the Hooded Merganser include hoarse grunts and chatters.
|
|
|
|
 |
HOODED MERGANSER
Lophodytes cucullatus
|
