Hooded Merganser
Hooded Merganser7 from Gilles Carter on Vimeo.
Lophodytes cucullatus)
by Milan Bull, Senior Director of Science and Conservation
Hooded Mergansers are beautiful, small diving ducks that frequent open brackish creeks and marshes in the fall and winter and into spring.
The most reliable sites for viewing numbers of “Hoodies” include Lordship Boulevard, in Stratford, especially near the Sikorsky Airport, where the tidal creek flows into the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge. Hooded Mergansers can also often be found on the Connecticut River in Essex, the mouth of the Mill River on Harbor Road in Fairfield, along the Hammonassett River in Madison, and at the Milford Point Coastal Center.
Look for small diving ducks in the outflow/inflow of the creek. Sometimes they are resting on the water or actively diving for small fish, which they catch with their narrow, serrated bill. These areas attract many other waterfowl species, so don’t be surprised to find American Black Duck, Mallard, Wood Duck, and sometimes Pied-billed Grebe sharing the water with the Hoodies.
What it looks like: This is an unmistakable small duck. The male is black above with a white breast, rusty flanks and a unique white crest. The female is greyish brown with a tawny crest.
Conservation status: The IUCN currently lists these ducks as Least Concern. In fact the number of Hooded Mergansers is increasing in Connecticut. They nest in tree cavities and boxes placed for Wood Ducks throughout much of the state.
Meganser Female Underwater from Gilles Carter on Vimeo. Photo by Robert Remy.
