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Bird Graphic 

 

 

Hooded Merganser -
(Lophodytes cucullatus) 

 Audio

Identification

  • Small duck with striking plumage
  • Male head has large crest head
         black with white area that appears
         larger when crest is raised
         body dark above, brown below,
         white chest; black and white vertical
         stripes towards front
  • Female brownish, crest smaller and
         reddish brown
  • 18" (46 cm.)

Habitat

  • Wetland, wooded streams 

Additional Information

  • Migrant and possible nester in Kickapoo
         Valley
  • More common breeder in northern half of the state
  • Nests in tree cavities, sometimes uses
             Wood Duck nest boxes
  • Dives for prey

Male Hooded Merganser on the pond

Female Hooded Merganser standing on a nest box

Female Hooded Merganser with chicks 

The Kickapoo Reserve Management Board acknowledges that the state and federal lands that comprise the Reserve fall within the ancestral homelands of First Nations people including the Hooçak Nation. We recognize the sovereignty of the Hooçak and other First Nations and will work towards a shared future by continuing to create collaborative opportunities to protect and preserve these lands.

Kickapoo Valley Reserve | S3661 State Highway 131 | La Farge, Wisconsin 54639 
Phone: 608-625-2960 | FAX: 608-625-2962
kickapoo.reserve@krm.state.wi.us

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