Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus
Overview
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. A species of fossil merganser from the Late Pleistocene of Vero Beach, Florida, was described as Querquedula floridana (a genus now included in Anas), but upon reexamination turned out to be a species closely related to the hooded merganser; it is now named Lophodytes floridanus, but the exact relationship between this bird and the modern species is unknown.1
Taxonomy
Anseriformes > Anatidae (Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl) > Waterfowl
Sightings
Relevant Sightings
- 03-16-2024 - California, United States (First Sighting)
- 04-10-2024 - Ontario, Canada (Last Sighting)
Places Seen
- California, United States
- Ontario, Canada
Media
Photographs
No photographs available.
Audio Recordings
No audio recordings available.