Hooded Merganser

Hooded Merganser swimming near a female American Wigeon.
Hooded Merganser, Fort Worth Nature Preserve Marsh Boardwalk, Fort Worth, TX, February 12, 2022
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-1600; f/6.3; 1/1600 sec.

This page is for the Hooded Merganser (Anthus rubescens). My first photographic evidence occurred on November 23, 2021 at the Fort Worth Nature Preserve, Fort Worth, TX. I was always excited to see these ducks as a youth on the rare occasion they would come my way. These were the first Hooded Mergansers I have seen in many years, and they flew by very quickly. I was lucky to grab this image. The best photograph I have taken of the Hooded Merganser to date (above) was from February 12, 2022 at the Fort Worth Nature Preserve, Fort Worth, TX.

The following photograph is the best representative image from a different date and location than my species representative example.

Two Hooded Mergansers flying overhead against a cloudless sky.
Hooded Merganser; Fort Worth Nature Preserve Marsh Boardwalk, Fort Worth, TX; November 23, 2021
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-2000; f/14; 1/2000 sec.
Four Hooded Mergansers sitting on a pond.
Hooded Merganser, Acton Nature Center, Acton, TX, February 19, 2022
Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-200; f/6.3; 1/1000 sec.
Hooded Merganser flapping its wings while swimming in open water.
Hooded Merganser, Fort Worth Nature Preserve Marsh Boardwalk, Fort Worth, TX, February 20, 2022
Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-320; f/7.1; 1/1250 sec.
Male Hooded Merganser in non-breeding plumage swimming near the shore.
Hooded Merganser, Fort Worth Nature Preserve Greer Island, Fort Worth, TX, February 27, 2022
Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-320; f/6.3; 1/1600 sec.
Two male Hooded Mergansers courting a female on a pond.
Hooded Merganser, Orlando, FL December 4, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-10,000; f/10; 1/800 sec.
Three male Hooded Mergansers courting two females on a pond.
Hooded Merganser, Orlando, FL December 4, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-10,000; f/11; 1/800 sec.
Three male Hooded Mergansers courting a female on a pond.
Hooded Merganser, Orlando, FL December 4, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-10,000; f/11; 1/800 sec.
Three male Hooded Mergansers courting a female on a pond.
Hooded Merganser, Orlando, FL December 4, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-10,000; f/11; 1/800 sec.
Three male Hooded Mergansers courting a female on a pond.
Hooded Merganser, Orlando, FL December 4, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-8000; f/10; 1/800 sec.
Three male Hooded Mergansers courting a female on a pond.
Hooded Merganser, Orlando, FL December 4, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-8000; f/10; 1/800 sec.
Three male Hooded Mergansers in courting mode.
Hooded Merganser, Orlando, FL December 4, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-8000; f/10; 1/800 sec.
Two male Hooded Mergansers courting a female on a pond.
Hooded Merganser, Orlando, FL December 4, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-8000; f/10; 1/800 sec.
Two male Hooded Mergansers courting a female on a pond.
Hooded Merganser, Orlando, FL December 4, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-8000; f/10; 1/800 sec.
Three male Hooded Mergansers courting a female on a pond.
Hooded Merganser, Orlando, FL December 4, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-8000; f/10; 1/800 sec.
Three male Hooded Mergansers courting a female on a pond.
Hooded Merganser, Orlando, FL December 4, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-8000; f/10; 1/800 sec.
Three male Hooded Mergansers courting a female on a pond.
Hooded Merganser, Orlando, FL December 4, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-8000; f/10; 1/800 sec.
A courting pair of Hooded Mergansers.
Hooded Merganser, Orlando, FL December 4, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-8000; f/10; 1/800 sec.
Hooded Merganser swimming nearby.
Hooded Merganser, Orlando, FL December 5, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-6400; f/11; 1/800 sec.
Hooded Merganser male swimming in the flooded grass of a pond with four American Black Ducks in the background. Three of the American Black Ducks have their heads underwater feeding.
Hooded Merganser, Parker River NWR, Plum Island, MA, January 11, 2024
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-400; f/11; 1/800 sec.
Hooded Merganser taking off from a pond nearby.
Hooded Merganser, Gooseberry Island, Westport, MA, January 12, 2024
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-500; f/11; 1/1000 sec.
Female Hooded Merganser swimming near the shore.
Hooded Merganser, Crowley, TX, February 2, 2025
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-400; f/10; 1/800 sec.