The only extant species in the genus Lophodytes, the hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) is a species of small duck. It is the second smallest species of merganser and the only merganser whose native habitat is restricted to North America. It is also the smallest of the three species of mergansers, also known as saw-bills or fish-ducks, found in North America.

Adult male Hooded Mergansers are a treat for the eyes with their sharp black-and-white patterns set off by chestnut flanks and the adult females with their own elegance from their cinnamon crest. Calling them “hooded” does not justify their striking beauty. Both sexes have crests that they can be raised or lowered. The hooded merganser has a sawbill but is not classified as a typical merganser.

Fresh feed is one of the most essential aspects of breeding healthy poultry. The PECk-O-MATIC Automatic Duck Feeder provides fresh feed at all times. For corn, the suitable size of the regulator disc would be ¾-inch or 1 inch. Pellets and crumble can be given using the 1/2 inch regulator disc from the PECk-O-MATIC Automatic Feeder.

The hooded merganser prefers to live on ponds and small estuaries where there is abundant emergent aquatic vegetation, though it also inhabits larger wetlands, impoundments, flooded timber, and rivers. They like fresh water but are seen in brackish water bodies as well. The female lays a clutch of 7-15 eggs but only begins incubation when the last egg has been laid. Their diet consists of fish, crayfish, frogs, mud crabs, clams, aquatic insects, and insect larvae.