Meet the Merganser Ducks: Hooded, Common and Red-Breasted

Hooded Merganser

Even among merganser ducks known for their wild “hairdos,” the hooded merganser’s style stands out. This eye-catching diving duck is instantly identifiable from its large-looking head, which, on males, features a sizable patch of white feathers against its black head plumage and crest. Males have a white breast, black back, and brown feathers at their sides. Females lack the dazzling colors and exaggerated crest of the males, instead featuring a smaller, brown crest and light brown feathers along the breast and sides. During non-breeding season, males resemble females. Bills are straight.

Hooded mergansers are common year-round in the eastern and portions of the midwestern United States, where they spend time in lakes and ponds in forested habitats. In the western half of the country, they appear during migration and non-breeding season. These ducks nest in holes in trees and in some nest boxes, similarly to wood ducks. They eat insects, fish, and amphibians, which they catch by diving beneath the water and propelling themselves with their feet.

Common Merganser

If you’re likely to confuse a member of the merganser family with a mallard, it’d be the common merganser. With their green head, light-colored breast and sides, and black back, males can bear a surprising resemblance to male mallards at first glance. Differentiate them by looking at the reddish bill, which is longer and thinner than that of a mallard. Also look for the bird’s white breast, which isn’t present on a mallard. Females have a brown head with a white patch beneath the beak and fringed-looking crest. The rest of the plumage is gray-brown.

Throughout most of the United States, common mergansers are non-breeding or migration-season visitors. In the Pacific Northwest and upper Northeast, they remain year-round. Look for them in large lakes and rivers, and especially in freshwater. Diet consists mainly of fish, but they’ll dive for worms and frogs, and they’ll even eat small birds, too. They can remain submerged for up to two minutes, but usually, they’ll stay underwater for half a minute or less. Cavity nesters, they prefer to nest in trees or nest boxes. Females may lay their eggs in other ducks’ nests.

Did you know? Young mergansers leap from nest hole to ground just one day after hatching.

Discover more duck species you should know.

Red-Breasted Merganser

If you see a bird that appears to be having a rough hair day, you might’ve found a red-breasted merganser. Males, especially, look like they could use a trip to the salon: their shaggy, frayed-looking crest stands out against their dark green head plumage and thin, straight bill. Differentiate them from the common merganser by their brownish-red breast, which the common lacks. Sides are black and white, and the back is black. In females, look for a brown head with a similarly unkempt crest and a gray-brown body.

During migration, red-breasted mergansers appear throughout most of the United States. In winter they’ll appear along saltwater coastlines, where they dive beneath the surface to catch small fish (psst—here’s why you should never feed bread to ducks). Ground nesters, they build nests close to water and with ample cover. Interestingly, red-breasted mergansers are one of the fastest flying ducks: their top speed is 81 miles per hour, although one individual was recorded at 100 miles per hour.

Sources

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “Life History: Hooded Merganser,” “Life History: Common Merganser,” “Life History: Red-Breasted Merganser“
• Ducks Unlimited, “Amazing Waterfowl Facts“