Hooded Merganser | Highlands Plateau Audubon Society

Written By: William McReynolds - Highlands Plateau Audubon Society | Issue: April - 2022

Male and female Hooded Mergansers

Move over Daffy and Donald Duck, this native American duck was first in our hearts and minds. 

The Hooded Merganser (Lophdytes cucullatus) sports distinct, richly colored plumage: the male having a black back with white accents, a bright white breast, rich chestnut side panels and a retractable crest with a large white spot, and the female a black and brown body with white stripes and rich cinnamon head plumage that looks like she is having a bad hair day. 

These skilled divers feed while submerged, propelling themselves forward underwater with their webbed feet and using their retractable crests as a fore rudder. Their thin, serrated bills are uniquely suited to catching small fish, a favorite prey.  Aquatic insects and crusty crayfish are also on the bill of fare. These are skilled predators. Their underwater vision is aided by extra eyelids that act as goggles.

Hooded Mergansers breed from late February to June. They nest in tree cavities and nest boxes where they compete with Wood Ducks for nesting real estate. Beavers help by damming streams and creating ponds. Choice nest sites are near water in wooded areas, 50 feet or more in elevation off the forest floor. The nesting cavity will be lined with wood chips and debris, softened with down. 

As many as 15 thick-shelled eggs are incubated for about 33 days. The hatchlings leave the nest within 24 hours of emerging from the shell. The mother places herself on the forest floor below the nest calling to her progeny. The new hatchlings must pull themselves up to the nest opening and make a bold leap – perhaps 50 feet down – to a hopefully soft landing on the forest floor. Being a young Hooded Merganser takes a large dose of courage and unshakeable confidence!

The hatchlings feed themselves on insects under the mother’s care for about 70 days. They then strike out on their own in the watery forest and the next generation is launched. Female Hooded Mergansers often lay eggs in the nests of other female Hooded Mergansers, an adoptive arrangement called “brood parasitism.” 

Hooded Mergansers are recognizable in flight by their low altitude and trajectory and rapid wing beats. Their life span has been known to be over 14 years. They benefit from nest boxes and the construction and placement of appropriate nest boxes is described on the Audubon national website. 

The Highlands Plateau Audubon Society, focused on enjoying and preserving birds and their habitats, is a Chapter of the National Audubon Society and a 501(c)(3) organization. For information on all our activities and membership, please visit highlandsaudubonsociety.org.