I saw a pair of these for the first time this spring and was astounded by their quirky beauty.

For this painting, I worked by permission from a source photo by the talented Nancy Steed Wilcox, of Lanark County.

Their crests can apparently be raises or lowered. Here, this Hooded Merganser Pair is clearly excited, since their crests are both raised. It looks to me like the male is calling to the female, too.

Apparently, during the non-breeding season, the male looks similar to the female, except that his eyes are yellow and the female’s eyes are brown. So we’re lucky here to see them with their splendid beauty.