Have you seen the hooded merganser ducks that overwinter in North Carolina? Sometimes you can see them in the retention ponds. They seem to be very shy, though. As soon as they notice a person, they tend to go to the far side of the pond, if not fly away.
The male’s head is black with a large white crest (or hood). The hood can be raised or lowered, changing the overall appearance of the shape of the head. The male is hard to miss when his hood is raised! The female is brown and doesn’t have any striking coloration. Her hood is reddish brown and can be raised or lowered as well.
Have you noticed them?