Hooded Merganser

On 6 August I found an immature Hooded Merganser in a Northfield pond. In its mouth, the duck carried a crayfish. Suddenly the crayfish was in the air. I thought of calling this post "Who Knew Crayfish Flew?

I am not sure how this crayfish became airborne. The merganser may have simply dropped the crustacean. Possibly the bird may have shaken the crayfish in an attempt to kill it, and accidentally lost grip. Or perhaps the bird intentionally threw the crayfish into the water to drown or clean it. The crayfish submerged and the merganser dunked its head under the water to retrieve its prey.

The Hooded Merganser carried the crayfish for several minutes, until the crustacean was finally swallowed. These mergansers are known to be particularly fond of crayfish, and are also known to take fish and insects. Dugger et al. 2009 write that Hooded Mergansers, compared to other ducks, have thicker gizzards to grind and digest crustaceans. Further, the serrated bill edges are used to grasp and handle mobile prey.