Mating and Reproduction. The male’s call sounds like a deep frog-like sound. The hooded merganser has a length between 16 and 19 inches. They are known for the hoods or crests on their heads. During breeding season, they will be found across the Pacific Northwest and our eastern states. The breast and belly are white and the flanks are brown. Although its non-breeding coloring is less vibrant, consisting more of dark browns and grays, the male's breeding colors are striking. They form groups of no more than 10 or 12. The smallest of the three North American merganser species, the Hooded is the only one that occurs exclusively on this continent. Hatched Hooded Merganser eggs brooded by a female Wood His sides are reddish brown. About the Hooded Merganser Breeding. Wingspan: 24 in. BREEDING MALE. The hen has a brown crest and a grayish brown body. The oldest recorded Hooded Merganser was a male and no less than 14 years, 6 months old when he was shot in Mississippi in 2009. 1994). During non-breeding season the male takes on a look that is very similar to the female but their eyes are different. Females are brown with a puffy crest and partly yellow bill. However, they wouldn’t nest until mid-February. Hooded Merganser’s breeding season begins in March and ends in May. This is usually around the end of December. They are the 2nd smallest of the 6 living species of Mergansers. Males have reddish flanks with two black vertical bars at the front, black upperparts, a black face, and large white crest on the rear of the head that can be raised or lowered. Mergus merganser is a social species, preferring to be in groups of up to 75 individuals. Discover wild animals of Canada.Subscribe to my channel to miss nothing !https://www.youtube.com/user/Explorationnature Food habits: Aquatic insects, small panfish and minnows, crayfish and frogs. Hooded Merganser facts and information: Lophodytes cucullatus. Title: Drake Hooded Merganser in breeding plumage Location: Salt Lake County, Utah Date: 12/9/2019 Eastern North Dakota is considered secondary breeding range. Small diving duck with thin serrated bill. The large head of the Hooded Merganser, Lophodytes cucullatus, drake is black with a large fan-shaped white crest. The hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) is a diving duck native to North America.As the name suggests, hooded mergansers are literally “hooded” with a large crest. fish-eating ducks. Widespread across much of North America, but usually only seen in pairs or small flocks. The male is easy to identify. Hooded Merganser - Length: 18 inches, Wing span: 24 inches. Low-elevation freshwater lakes, ponds, sloughs, and slow-moving rivers are all used. A slim, crested, fish-eating duck, commonly seen around jetties and piers along the coast. Hooded Merganser (Figures 4-7) Figure 4. Also part of the breeding plumage are the reddish-brown flanks. Annual variation in Hooded Merganser survival rates was an important component of this species’ population ecology, but was not related to winter weather conditions, harvest rates, breeding season rainfall, or nesting parameters. In some … What they sound like: The Hooded Merganser is silent except when mating. Waterfowl Identification. Breeding in North America: Alaska to nw USA, se Canada to se USA; can be seen in 30 countries. If your box does not have nest material from a previous resident, you can add wood shavings to entice a new resident. Hooded Merganser Mating Ritual (5 of 5, See Parts 1-4) on Cold Day in Autumn at Mill Creek Marsh in Secaucus, NJ (Meadowlands) Toward the end of the walk on this cold autumn day at the MARSH, seen in the distance was a large group of Hooded Mergansers engaged in some type of ritual. uttered. The Hooded Merganser nests in forested areas adjacent to lakes, ponds, and rivers throughout its range. Hooded Merganser. Hooded Mergansers have a relatively small population due to delayed breeding which occurs only until age two. Pair formation is from November through January. Another beautiful duck, the Hooded Merganser is also one of the few species of waterfowl that nests in the state, breeding (often in association with Wood Ducks) at a few wooded ponds and lakes. Summer : Hooded Mergansers in Nebraska are at the west edge of the breeding range of the eastern population as described by Baldassarre (2014). The hooded merganser eats primarily aquatic insects, fish, and crustaceans (Dugger et al. Mergansers are our only ducks that specialize in eating fish. Length: 18 in. The drakes are a striking combination of black, white and redish brown. The male’s outstanding feature is the black and white fan shaped crest that gives the bird its name sake. Roughly crow-sized, these small diving ducks feed primarily on small fish and aquatic invertebrates. Nebraska records of breeding are few and possibly overlooked, as this species nests in wooded stream and river valleys difficult of access by human observers. ISSUES Hooded merganser populations have suffered on both breeding and wintering grounds from habitat alteration, mostly associated with changing forestry practices and especially snag removal (Dugger et al. Here is how Wikipedia describes the Hooded Merganser…. Their choice of nesting habitats was limited by the availability of suitable nesting cavities. Hooded Merganser drakes in breeding plumage are a sight to behold with their white breasts seeming all the more snowy because of the contrasting black “spurs” that reach down the sides. HABITAT: Small, forested, freshwater wetlands with emergent vegetation are the preferred breeding habitat of the hooded merganser. The pond behind my house in the Charleston, S.C. area doesn’t have many duck visitors but today a brace of five Hooded Mergansers spent some time here. made in June, but on 10 July, Trochet found a Hooded Merganser hen attending five two-thirds to three-quarters grown ducklings on the pond at Snake Marsh. Apr 13, 2019 - Explore Barbara Nowakowski's board "Hooded Merganser" on Pinterest. It lives on freshwater lakes, wooded wetlands and tidal shallows throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed from autumn through spring. Females have a brown body, a white underside, and a light brown crest that extends from the back of their head. Hooded Mergansers are usually silent, but they call during courtship and around nest sites. This Hooded Merganser is wearing the typical juvenile (=first basic) plumage of the species. Drake hooded merganser flying Breeds in swamps, streams, lakes. The occurrence of breeding hooded mergansers nearly tripled in Vermont between 1981-2007, according to findings of the first and second Vermont Breeding Bird Atlas, edited by … This was the first Hooded Merganser breeding record for RP, and apparently the first for Sacramento ounty. The crestless head is dark green, the bill is red, and the eye is dark. the winter. Hen/ non-breeding common merganser flying. Hooded Mergansers are cavity nesters, and will use nest boxes quite readily. In early spring, colorful wood duck, common merganser and hooded merganser males perform a disappearing act. The male Hooded Merganser leaves the female bird in the nest for the incubation period. Hooded Mergansers Courting Before Hooded Mergansers seek out their nesting cavities in snags and stumps they engage in extensive courtship displays. For the breeding season mergansers prefer ponds with emergent vegetation. Jan 2, 2019 - Explore Bo Nielsen's board "Hooded Merganser" on Pinterest. A male Hooded Merganser during courtship season. Hooded Merganser Identification. For the first few weeks of life, they forage for invertebrates such as mayfly and dragonfly larvae. ex “Hooded Flycatcher” of Latham 1801 (Melanodryas). Broods often intermix, producing mixed broods of up to 40 or more young, tended by one or more adult females. Breeding in forested stream, pond, and wetland habitats in eastern North America and in the Northwest, the Hooded Merganser … At first I thought these were all females, but some research revealed that non-breeding males look … Attach a guard to keep predators from raiding eggs and young. 5/30/11. Hooded Merganser ducklings feed on the surface of the water or by diving. Six to eighteen white eggs are laid in a hollow tree, stump or other natural cavity lined with down. The male swam in circles around the female at least three times while I watched. The female hooded merganser counterpart, like the common merganser, is much more muted with brownish gray flanks and a reddish crest. The range map depicts the boundary of the species’s range, defined as the areas where the species is estimated to occur within at least one week within each season. Winters on the East and Gulf coasts. List of specimens with Goosand, Common Merganser, Laksand, Mergus merganser: The Goosander is distributed across the temperate and sub-arctic zones of the northern hemisphere. The Hooded Merganser is a small diving duck with a bulky, rounded crest and a thin bill. Photo by Amy Davis. Merginae, Mergellus, Smew. The adult female … They have been known to breed in more open habitat when nest boxes are available. Very occasionally, a vagrant appears in the UK. Originally, we set up a box to attract Wood Ducks, but we found that Hooded Mergansers (another kind of duck) also used the box. Behavior: Hooded mergansers have excellent vision, and their eyes are adapted to … We checked the nest box on May 18th and the young were ready to jump out. In the eastern U.S., HoodedMerganserswinter from south­ A hooded merganser nest was found on May 12 at Sue Ames Prairie. Small, forested, freshwater wetlands with emergent vegetation are the preferred breeding habitat of the Hooded Merganser. They are quite attractive birds. Breeding Male is black above, white below, white crest spot, rusty sides. They remain together until the female has selected a nesting cavity and completed laying her … The Hooded merganser is a small diving duck striking in appearance; both sexes have crests that they can raise or lower, and the breeding plumage of the male is handsomely patterned and colored. Hooded merganser form monogamous pairs for breeding. Hooded Mergansers are pretty frequent on small ponds and streams throughout their breeding range. 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