Hooded
Merganser
Common Name: Hooded
Merganser
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Lophodytes
Species: Lophodytes cucullatus
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photo M Noonan |
Taxonomy/Description
Mergansers are diving ducks that have long narrow bills
for catching fish. The word merganser comes from the
Latin "mergus" meaning to dive and "ânser" meaning
goose. The Hooded Merganser is in the family Anatidae.
This family is made up of ducks and duck-like waterfowl.
The members of this family share adaptations to life on
the water including webbed feet, flattened bills, and
feathers with special oils to prevent water absorption.
The Hooded Merganser’s specific name, cucullatus comes
from the Latin words “cucullus” meaning hood and “atus”
meaning provided with. Thus, cucullatus means provided
with a hood.
photo Ivan Andrijevic
The Hooded Merganser is the smallest of the North
American mergansers (40-49 cm). It has a long, narrow,
serrated bill. This merganser is a sexually dimorphic
species. The male has a black and brown back and wings
and a white underside. It also has a white, fan shaped
crest bordered in black on its head and a yellow eye.
The female has a reddish tinged crest, grayish brown
head and back, white belly, and a brown eye. In both the
male and female, the crest can be expanded or
contracted.
Habitat/Diet
The Hooded
Merganser is the only merganser to be found exclusively
in North America. It breeds in the Pacific Northwest,
along southern Canada, and east of the Mississippi
River. It winters along the coast of California and in
coastal habitats from Delaware to Texas. They are
somewhat common in forested ponds in the Great Lakes
region. This merganser prefers secluded freshwater,
forested wetlands but can also be found in rivers,
lakes, ponds, and streams.
The Hooded Merganser eats mostly fish, but also consumes
aquatic insects, frogs, and crustaceans. Ducklings are
mainly insectivorous. The Hooded Merganser has
underwater vision that allows foraging during a dive.
Behavior/Reproduction
The Hooded Merganser is a diving duck that is clumsy on
land. However, a mother will lead her young over 1 km to
water from the nest. It is a quick flier and lands at
very high speeds using its feet to ski across the water
to stop. The adults are preyed upon by raccoon and mink
while the eggs are preyed upon but European Starlings,
and many woodpecker species. To distract a predator from
the nest, the female will feign a broken wing.
The Hooded Merganser is monogamous with pair bonds
lasting one season. It is a cavity nester and will make
its nest in a living tree, snag, or wood duck box. The
nest is generally 10 to 50 ft above the ground. It is
made by the female with material found in the cavity and
down from the bird. The female will lay 7 to 15 eggs.
The Hooded Merganser eggs are white and spherical with
disproportionately thick shells. The female incubates
the eggs for about one months during which she looses up
to 16% of here body weight. The ducklings are precocial
at birth and leave the nest within 24 hours. The female
abandons her brood after about five weeks. Brood
parasitism has also been found in the Hooded Merganser.
It parasites and is parasitized by cavity nesters such
as the Wood Duck, Common Goldeneye, and Common
Merganser.
Vocalization
The Hooded Merganser is mostly silent.
Vocalizations are mostly heard during courtship or
around the nest. Males will make a frog-like
craaa-crrrooooo or a pop noise. Females make a hoarse
gack during courtship or a sea-duck-like croo-croo-crook
to call the young.
Where to see them in WNY
The Hooded
Merganser prefers forested wetlands. A quiet pond
surrounded by forests would be a great place to see
these birds. However, they can also be found in more
open places such as streams and marshes.