Male hooded merganser, Oregon, United States Nov. 18, 2025

Male hooded merganser, Oregon, United States

Each autumn, the quiet waterways of Oregon, United States, become seasonal waypoints for hooded mergansers—small diving ducks native to North America. They are agile divers, plunging beneath the surface to catch fish and other prey. Males, known as drakes, stand out with their fan-shaped white crests, dark heads and chestnut-brown sides, while females, called hens, are brownish grey with smaller crests. Oregon"s lakes and wetlands provide sheltered feeding grounds as these birds migrate or winter across the continent.

© Eric Vogt/TANDEM Stills + Motion

palette

Today in History

Keyholes to the kingdom
Nov. 18, 2023Polar bear season in Manitoba
Nov. 18, 2024Porthcawl lighthouse, Wales, United Kingdom

More Desktop Wallpapers:

The animal kingdoms great migration
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sep. 16, 2024Wallabies at sunrise, Australia
Gateway to Iberia
What are these ancient animals?
Jul. 4, 2024Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site
Golden cliffs of deep space
When being in a rut is OK
The worlds most exclusive beach?
The sprout with amazing potential
Jun. 20, 2025Summer solstice
Feb. 13, 2024Mardi Gras
A warm hug in the icy north
Apr. 18, 2024International Day for Monuments and Sites
Oct. 9, 2023Thanksgiving Day
Rainbow around the sun
May 7, 2024A duckling swimming in a water meadow, Suffolk, England
Sep. 28, 2024Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida, USA
Sep. 3, 2023Skyscrapers in Manhattan
Is it green with envy?
Jan. 9, 2026Muir Woods National Monument, California, United States
Family on parade
Nov. 2, 2023Death Valley National Park, California
Colours of Colorado
A day for cousins of every stripe
Nov. 11, 2024Banff National Park, Alberta
Oct. 18, 2023Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska
Jun. 23, 2024Dhaka, Bangladesh
Sep. 28, 2025Town of Pienza in Tuscany, Italy
Jul. 25, 2024Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA