Hooded Mergansers are small, cavity-nesting mergansers that are uncommon winter visitors to Arizona, seen primarily from November through March on unfrozen ponds, lakes, and slow-moving rivers across central and southern parts of the state—most frequently around Tucson’s Agua Caliente Park and various urban and riparian ponds in Maricopa County. Both sexes dive adeptly for small fish, crustaceans, aquatic insects, and mollusks, occasionally gleaning seeds and plant material along shorelines. Adult males in breeding plumage display a striking black-and-white crest and chestnut flanks, while females bear a more subdued cinnamon-brown crest and grayish-brown body. Although they nest in tree cavities or nest boxes across their breeding range in eastern and northwestern North America, there are no confirmed nesting records in Arizona.
