CreatureData

Hooded merganser

Lophodytes cucullatus (Linnaeus, 1758)

LCLeast Concernwaterfowl

The hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) is a species in the family Anatidae, order Anseriformes. Recorded adults weigh 547 g to 617 g and live up to 11.3 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)
Photo: Rhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the hooded merganser

Weight
547 g – 617 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Wingspan
56 cm – 70 cmsrc for Wingspan
Lifespan
11.3 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
14.5 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
wetlandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
31 days – 32.2 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
10.8 – 11src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
2 yearssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Aquaticsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Migratorysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the hooded merganser?

HOODED MERGANSER · WINGSPAN 70 CMADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 70 cm, the recorded maximum wingspan of the hooded merganser is about 41% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Where does the hooded merganser live?

Not recorded

What is the hooded merganser?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) is a species of fish-eating duck in the subfamily Anatinae. It is the only extant species in the genus Lophodytes. The genus name derives from Greek: lophos meaning 'crest', and dutes meaning 'diver'. The bird is striking in appearance; both sexes have crests that they can raise or lower, and the breeding plumage of the male is handsomely patterned and colored. The hooded merganser has a sawbill but is not classified as a typical merganser.

Hooded mergansers are the second-smallest species of merganser, with only the smew of Europe and Asia being smaller, and it also is the only merganser whose native habitat is restricted to North America.

From the Wikipedia article “Hooded merganser” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hooded_merganser&oldid=1374435089), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the hooded merganser endangered?

The hooded merganser is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the hooded merganser classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderAnseriformes
  5. familyAnatidae
  6. genusLophodytes
  7. SpeciesLophodytes cucullatus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms Lophodytes cucllatus, Mergellus cucullatus, Mergus cucullatus, Mergus cucullatus, Mergus cucullatus cucullatus, Mergus cucullatus cucullatus

Other names and names in other languages (63)
  • HoodieEnglish
  • بلقشة مقنعةArabic
  • بلقشة مقلنسةArabic
  • Американски нирецBulgarian
  • Heskenneg kabellekBreton
  • bec de serra coronatCatalan
  • morčák chocholatýCzech
  • Hwyaid CribwynWelsh
  • hwyaden gribwenWelsh
  • Hwyaden GycyllogWelsh
  • HjelmskalleslugerDanish
  • KappensägerGerman
  • KappensängerGerman
  • ΣτεφανοπρίστηςGreek
  • KapuĉmerĝoEsperanto
  • kapuĉa merĝoEsperanto
  • Pato de CrestaSpanish
  • Mergansa de CaperuzaSpanish
  • Mergansa encapuchadaSpanish
  • Mergo cresta blancaSpanish
  • Serreta capuchonaSpanish
  • kübarkoskelEstonian
  • harjakoskeloFinnish
  • Harle couronnéFrench
  • bec-scie couronnéFrench
  • KapeseachbekWestern Frisian
  • Síolta chochaillIrish
  • Síolta chochallachIrish
  • Sheeltey choghylManx
  • מרגון מקושטHebrew
  • kukmasti ronacCroatian
  • bóbitás bukóHungarian
  • csuklyás bukóHungarian
  • KamböndIcelandic
  • smergo dal ciuffoItalian
  • Smergo dal cappuccioItalian
  • オウギアイサJapanese
  • KapeseeërLuxembourgish
  • kuoduotasis dančiasnapisLithuanian
  • didšəlqidlut
  • Lielgalvas gauraLatvian
  • KuifzaagbekDutch
  • kokardezaagbekDutch
  • hjelmfiskandNorwegian Nynorsk
  • kapturnikPolish
  • Kapturnik (ptak)Polish
  • merganso-capuchinhoPortuguese
  • Merganso-cabeçudoPortuguese
  • Хохлатый крохальRussian
  • Капюшоновый крохальRussian
  • HárjegoalsiNorthern Sami
  • potápač prilbatýSlovak
  • kapucasti žagarSlovenian
  • kapucatsi žagarSlovenian
  • Kapuljačasti ronacSerbian
  • kamskrakeSwedish
  • başlıklı ördekTurkish
  • Başlıklı TarakdişTurkish
  • крех жовтоокийUkrainian
  • Vịt biển màoVietnamese
  • 鏡冠秋沙Chinese
  • 棕胁秋沙鸭Chinese
  • 棕脇秋沙鴨Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the hooded merganser

Other species in the same family Anatidae.

LC, Least Concern
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Mallard

Anas platyrhynchos

Anatidae

LC, Least Concern
Mute swan (Cygnus olor)

Mute swan

Cygnus olor

Anatidae

CompareHooded merganser vs MallardHooded merganser vs Greylag gooseHooded merganser vs Northern pintailHooded merganser vs Mute swan

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the hooded merganser?

An adult hooded merganser weighs 547 g – 617 g and has a wingspan of 56 cm – 70 cm, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the hooded merganser endangered?

The hooded merganser is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the hooded merganser live?

The hooded merganser has a recorded lifespan of 11.3 years.

What kind of animal is the hooded merganser?

The hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) belongs to the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/hooded-merganser

MLA

“Hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/hooded-merganser.

BibTeX
@misc{hooded_merganser_2026,
  title = {Hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/hooded-merganser},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}