Hooded Merganser Patch

#4 Hooded Merganser

These small ducks with yellow eyes light up winter birding on freshwater ponds and protected saltwater bays. The males fan their distinctive black-and-white crests while courting the cinnamon-brown females. In the summer they nest in tree cavities, and their ducklings depart the nest by jumping all the way down to the ground within 24 hours of hatching.