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Hooded merganser (male)
Lophodytes cucullatus
47.0766, -122.712
Field Notes
Description:
The breeding plumage of the male consist of black and white stripes,white breast, chestnut lower flanks. Males have yellow eyes, while females eyed are brown. He has a dark straight serrated bill (pic 2) adapted for grasping their prey. They eat small fish, aquatic insects, crustaceans (especially crayfish), amphibians, vegetation, and mollusks—their diet is broader than in other mergansers, which eat fish almost exclusively.
Habitat:
Spotted in estuary waters at the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.
Notes:
Unlike dabbling ducks, Hooded Mergansers swim low in the water. Their legs are far back on their bodies, which helps in diving but makes them awkward on land. They take flight by running across the water, flying with fast wingbeats and never gliding until they are about to land (by skidding to a stop on the water).
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