Guide

Go seeBirds

Hooded mergansers and their fan-shaped crest

November to December

Hooded mergansers are small diving ducks, and the males carry a big white-and-black crest that they can raise like a fan. Look for them on quiet, tree-lined ponds and slow water while it stays unfrozen.

Why this time of year

Pairs may form in late fall or winter, and the crest fanning is part of that display. Some stay on ponds in southeastern Massachusetts until ice pushes them off.

How to notice it

  1. Pick a quiet pond, beaver flowage, or slow stretch of river with trees around it, and scan the open water near the edges.
  2. Look for a small duck with a thin bill. A drake shows a white crest outlined in black.
  3. Watch a drake for a minute. If he is near a female, he may raise and spread the crest, then lower it flat again.
  4. Wait for a dive. Hooded mergansers go under and come up somewhere else, so keep your eyes on the water around where it vanished.

Try this with kids: Can you spot the duck whose head looks like it has a fan, and count how many seconds it stays underwater?

Word to know: A “merganser” is a fish-eating duck with a thin, saw-edged bill.

Safety

  • Stay back from the water's edge and off thin ice, and keep kids and dogs on solid ground; binoculars let you watch from a distance.

Sources

  • audubon.orgNational Audubon field guide: males raise and spread the crest in courtship displays; wooded lakes, ponds, rivers; winters on woodland ponds, wooded swamps, coastal estuaries; forages by diving.
  • massaudubon.orgMass Audubon breeding bird atlas account: most winter south of MA, some remain on SE MA ponds until ice forces them out; arrive at breeding areas as ice starts to melt; many females lay eggs in March; use Wood Duck boxes.
  • massaudubon.orgMass Audubon atlas 2 account: tree-cavity nester, beaver recovery created nesting habitat.
  • northernwoodlands.orgNorthern Woodlands (regional magazine, secondary): males start courting and pairing in November; male fans out crest and bends head back while swimming beside female.

Checked against these sources on October 20, 2026.

In the guide for November, December

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