Bird

Hooded Merganser

Lophodytes cucullatus

Lives in Alabama all year and nests here. Found in all 67 counties, across 17 habitats.

Here: All year
Nesting: Nests here
Range: All 67 counties
Habitats: 17

Male Hooded Merganser, whole bird — **Male**. (c) Justin Flint, some rights reserved (CC BY). CC BY. iNaturalist photo 243821467. iNaturalist large derivative; no local crop or retouch.

At a glance

Group: Birds
Here: All year
Nesting: Nests here
Range: All 67 counties
Habitats: 17
Habitat models: Summer, Winter

Where it lives

The places its habitat model includes. It is not found everywhere a habitat occurs.

Habitats in Alabama 17

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 17

WinterUnconsolidated Shore (Beach/Dune); East Gulf Coastal Plain Dune and Coastal Grassland; Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain Interdunal WetlandGeorge Catlin, White Sand Bluffs, on Santa Rosa Island, Near Pensacola (1834-35): high white dunes with scattered clumps of dune plants above the Gulf. Shown: Santa Rosa Island near Pensacola, Florida, a neighboring state.White Sand Bluffs, on Santa Rosa Island, Near Pensacola, George Catlin (1796-1872), 1834-1835. Public domain. Source record.

SummerSouthern Coastal Plain Oak Dome and Hammock; Southern Coastal Plain Hydric HammockWinslow Homer, In the Jungle, Florida (1904): cabbage palms, saw palmetto and fallen trunks in a dense, shady hammock, with a wildcat in the branches. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Shown: Florida (Winslow Homer, In the Jungle, Florida, 1904), a neighboring state.In the Jungle, Florida, Winslow Homer, 1904. Public domain. Source record.

SummerSouthern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Nupea ModifierMartin Johnson Heade, The Great Florida Marsh (1886): open marsh and lily-dotted water beneath live oaks and cabbage palms. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Shown: Florida (Heade, The Great Florida Marsh, 1886; North Carolina Museum of Art), a neighboring state.The Great Florida Marsh, Martin Johnson Heade, 1886. Public domain. Source record.

SummerWinterOpen Water (Fresh)Martin Johnson Heade, Florida Sunrise: still water and a palm-fringed shore glowing at dawn. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Shown: Florida (Heade, Florida Sunrise, c. 1890-1900), a neighboring state.Florida Sunrisetitle QS:P1476,en:"Florida Sunrise"label QS:Len,"Florida Sunrise", Martin Johnson Heade, c. 1890-1900. Public domain. Source record.

WinterOpen Water (Brackish/Salt)Thomas Moran, Fort George Island (1878): a tidal shore of wet sand and shallow water at the river mouth, with cabbage palms and a beached ship. Shown: Fort George Island, Florida (Thomas Moran, 1878; Smithsonian American Art Museum), a neighboring state.Fort George Island, Florida, Thomas Moran, 1878. Public domain. Source record.

SummerWinterCentral Interior and Appalachian Riparian Systems; Cumberland Riverscour; South-Central Interior Small Stream and RiparianWinslow Homer, Blue Spring, Florida (1890): clear blue spring water under overhanging palms. Shown: Blue Spring, Florida (Winslow Homer, 1890; National Gallery of Art), a neighboring state.Blue Spring, Florida, Winslow Homer, 1890. Public domain. Source record.

SummerWinterSouthern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Taxodium Modifier; Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Bay/Gum Modifier; Southern Coastal Plain Seepage Swamp and Baygall; East Gulf Coastal Plain Tidal Wooded Swamp; Central Interior and Appalachian Swamp Systems; Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp; Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Cypress Dome; Southern Piedmont/Ridge and Valley Upland Depression SwampFlorida, Sunset on the Ocklawaha (1899): a dark swamp-lined river at sunset, with cypress and hardwoods crowding both banks. Shown: Ocklawaha River, Florida, a neighboring state.Florida, Sunset on the Ocklawaha, Detroit Photographic Co. (chromolithograph), 1899. Public domain. Source record.

Disturbed and introduced wetlands

Wet ground taken over by weedy or introduced plants after disturbance, such as common reed, Chinese tallow or tamarisk stands; the upland counterpart is roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.

Summer

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

SummerWinterEast Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier; South-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Forest Modifier; Southern Piedmont Large Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier; Central Interior and Appalachian Floodplain Systems; Central Interior and Appalachian Riparian Systems; Southern Piedmont Small Floodplain and Riparian Forest; South-Central Interior Small Stream and Riparian; East Gulf Coastal Plain Small Stream and River Floodplain Forest; Southern Coastal Plain Blackwater River Floodplain Forest; South-Central Interior Large Floodplain

Hardwood and oak flatwoods

Flat, poorly drained uplands and terraces with oaks, sweetgum and sometimes loblolly pine, wet in winter and dry in summer, but neither a floodplain nor a swamp.

SummerEast Gulf Coastal Plain Jackson Plain Dry Flatwoods - Open Understory Modifier; East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Loblolly-Hardwood Flatwoods; South-Central Interior / Upper Coastal Plain Wet Flatwoods

Salt and brackish marshes

Coastal marshes flooded by salty or brackish tides.

WinterMississippi Sound Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh

SummerOnly within 60 m of water.East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods - Open Understory Modifier; East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods - Scrub/Shrub Understory Modifier; East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine FlatwoodsGeorge Inness, Georgia Pines (1890): tall, straight pines over an open, grassy floor in a south Georgia pine woods. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Shown: Georgia pine woods (George Inness, 1890; site not named), a neighboring state.Georgia Pines, George Inness (1825-1894), 1890. Public domain. Source record.

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

SummerOnly within 60 m of water.East Gulf Coastal Plain Limestone Forest; East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Dry Upland Hardwood Forest; Allegheny-Cumberland Dry Oak Forest and Woodland - Hardwood; Southern Coastal Plain Dry Upland Hardwood Forest; Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest - Hardwood Modifier; Southeastern Interior Longleaf Pine Woodland; Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest; Southern Ridge and Valley Dry Calcareous Forest; Southern Appalachian Low Mountain Pine Forest

Glades, barrens and outcrops on limestone

Open, thin-soil openings and rock on limestone, dolomite or other lime-rich rock, including cedar glades.

SummerOnly within 60 m of water.Ridge and Valley Calcareous Valley Bottom Glade and Woodland; Central Interior Highlands Calcareous Glade and Barrens

Moderately dry forests

Forests between dry and moist, often oak-hickory on slopes.

SummerOnly within 60 m of water.East Gulf Coastal Plain Limestone Forest; Southern Interior Low Plateau Dry-Mesic Oak Forest

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

SummerOnly within 60 m of water.Southern Piedmont Mesic Forest; East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Mesic Hardwood Forest; East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Mesic Slope Forest; South-Central Interior Mesophytic Forest

Prairies and grasslands

Open, grass-dominated places kept open by fire, grazing or thin soil, from tallgrass prairie to Piedmont prairies.

SummerOnly within 60 m of water.East Gulf Coastal Plain Black Belt Calcareous Prairie and Woodland - Herbaceous Modifier

Other habitats in its models (114)

Land cover, or classes with no habitat page in Alabama. Those recorded in Alabama first, the rest by region.

Elsewhere in the South (57)

Atlantic Coastal Plain Brownwater Stream Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Salt and Brackish Tidal Marsh Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Dry and Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Freshwater Marsh Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Salt and Brackish Marsh Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Indian River Lagoon Tidal Marsh Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Large Natural Lakeshore Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Mesic Hardwood and Mixed Forest Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Blackwater River Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Brownwater River Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Dune and Maritime Grassland Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Tidal Wooded Swamp Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Wet Pine Savanna and Flatwoods Summer.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Xeric River Dune Winter.
Central and South Texas Coastal Fringe Forest and Woodland Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Central and Southern Appalachian Montane Oak Forest Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Central and Southern Appalachian Northern Hardwood Forest Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Central and Southern Appalachian Spruce-Fir Forest Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Central Atlantic Coastal Plain Wet Longleaf Pine Savanna and Flatwoods Summer.
Central Florida Herbaceous Pondshore Winter.
Central Florida Pine Flatwoods Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Central Interior Highlands Dry Acidic Glade and Barrens Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Crosstimbers Oak Forest and Woodland Summer, only within 60 m of water.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Loess Bluff Forest Summer, only within 60 m of water.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Loess Bluff Forest Summer, only within 60 m of water.
East-Central Texas Plains Pine Forest and Woodland Summer, only within 60 m of water.
East-Central Texas Plains Post Oak Savanna and Woodland Summer, only within 60 m of water.
East-Central Texas Plains Riparian Forest Summer.
Edwards Plateau Limestone Savanna and Woodland Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Florida Big Bend Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Winter.
Florida Big Bend Salt-Brackish Tidal Marsh Winter.
Floridian Highlands Freshwater Marsh Winter.
Lower Mississippi River Dune Woodland and Forest Summer.
Lower Mississippi River Flatwoods Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Mississippi River Alluvial Plain Dry-Mesic Loess Slope Forest Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Mississippi River Bottomland Depression Summer.
Mississippi River Low Floodplain (Bottomland) Forest Summer and winter.
Mississippi River Riparian Forest Summer and winter.
Northern Crowley's Ridge Sand Forest Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Ouachita Montane Oak Forest Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Ozark-Ouachita Dry Oak Woodland Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Ozark-Ouachita Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Ozark-Ouachita Mesic Hardwood Forest Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Ozark-Ouachita Riparian Summer.
Ozark-Ouachita Shortleaf Pine-Bluestem Woodland Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Ozark-Ouachita Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest and Woodland Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Red River Large Floodplain Forest Summer.
South Florida Bayhead Swamp Winter.
South-Central Interior / Upper Coastal Plain Flatwoods Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Southern and Central Appalachian Bog and Fen Summer and winter.
Southern and Central Appalachian Cove Forest Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Southern and Central Appalachian Oak Forest Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Southern Appalachian Montane Pine Forest and Woodland Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Southern Crowley's Ridge Mesic Loess Slope Forest Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Southwest Florida Dune and Coastal Grassland Winter.

Northeast (11)

Acadian Low-Elevation Spruce-Fir-Hardwood Forest Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Appalachian Hemlock-Hardwood Forest Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Fresh and Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Tidal Salt Marsh Winter.
Central Appalachian Alkaline Glade and Woodland Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Central Appalachian Oak and Pine Forest Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Central Appalachian Pine-Oak Rocky Woodland Summer, only within 60 m of water.
North-Central Interior Wet Flatwoods Summer.
Northeastern Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Basin Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest Summer.
Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Dry Hardwood Forest Summer, only within 60 m of water.

Midwest (5)

North-Central Interior Beech-Maple Forest Summer, only within 60 m of water.
North-Central Interior Dry Oak Forest and Woodland Summer, only within 60 m of water.
North-Central Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest and Woodland Summer, only within 60 m of water.
North-Central Interior Maple-Basswood Forest Summer, only within 60 m of water.
North-Central Interior Oak Savanna Summer, only within 60 m of water.

Land cover and other classes (41)

Allegheny-Cumberland Dry Oak Forest and Woodland - Pine Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Blackwater Stream Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Clay-Based Carolina Bay Forested Wetland Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Clay-Based Carolina Bay Herbaceous Wetland Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-Line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Loblolly Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Open Understory Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Scrub/Shrub Understory Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Nonriverine Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest - Oak Dominated Modifier Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Nonriverine Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest - Taxodium/Nyssa Modifier Summer and winter.
Central Appalachian Riparian - Forest Modifier Summer and winter.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Black Belt Calcareous Prairie and Woodland - Woodland Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest - Hardwood Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest - Mixed Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Loblolly Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Open Understory Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Scrub/Shrub Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest - Herbaceous Modifier Summer and winter.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Dry Upland Hardwood Forest - Offsite Pine Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Loess Plain Oak-Hickory Upland - Hardwood Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Loess Plain Oak-Hickory Upland - Juniper Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Eastern Great Plains Floodplain Systems Summer.
Florida Longleaf Pine Sandhill - Open Understory Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Florida Longleaf Pine Sandhill - Scrub/Shrub Understory Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Lower Mississippi River Bottomland Depressions - Forest Modifier Summer and winter.
Mississippi River Floodplain and Riparian Forest Summer.
Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest - Mixed Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest - Virginia/Pitch Pine Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest-Hardwood Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
South-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Herbaceous Modifier Summer and winter.
Southern and Central Appalachian Oak Forest - Xeric Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Clethra Modifier Summer.
Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Pine Modifier Summer.
Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest - Loblolly Pine Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest - Mixed Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-Heath Forest - Mixed Modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Southern Ridge and Valley Dry Calcareous Forest - Pine modifier Summer, only within 60 m of water.
Unconsolidated Shore Winter.
Unconsolidated Shore (Lake/River/Pond) Winter.

All habitats

Seasons in Alabama

Year-round: nests here, in all 67 counties.
Winter: does not nest here, in 2 of 67 counties.

Also found in its main habitats

Its main habitats in Alabama, by how much of its habitat model each one is, with the birds most characteristic of each and the plants that grow wild there. Shared habitat, not food.

Hooded Merganser uses many habitats in Alabama; these are its 3 most characteristic.