Stats

Lifespan: 10-14 yrs
Size: Small
Diet: Carnivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Pair
Biome: Freshwater wetland
Range: North America
Movement: Swimming
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Common

About

The Hooded Merganser is a small North American diving duck named for the male's dramatic fan-shaped white-and-black crest, which he can raise or flatten at will to signal or display. Unlike most ducks, this species nests in tree cavities, and day-old ducklings must leap to the ground to follow their mother to water.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A clutch of eggs rests in a down-lined nest near water, covered and warmed by the brooding female.
2.
hatchling
A downy hatchling follows its mother to the water within hours and feeds itself almost immediately.
3.
juvenile
A juvenile grows its first true feathers, swimming in the family group and learning to dabble or dive.
4.
adult
Fully grown with adult plumage.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Lophodytes
Species: Lophodytes cucullatus