Hooded Merganser

During our Capitol Lake stroll on 14 November 2020, we saw Hooded Mergansers that appeared to be a ménage à trois—two males and a female swam close to each other on a small, side pond along the lake. This observation is not surprising, Hooded Merganser courtship often involves multiple birds, at least one female and several males.The male's raised tail and the lowered crest, however, do not appear to be a courtship stance. I think these two birds are already mated and this behavior is a pair bond maintenance display. Erect forehead feathers are also typical of this type of display. Hooded Merganser pairs are seasonal. Pairing occurs throughout the winter and can form as early as mid-November (Dugger et al. 2020).  Males abandon females immediately after the females begin incubating eggs.