The Hooded Merganser is one of North America’s handsomest, though least numerous, ducks. This secretive species prefers wooded ponds, lakes, and streams, where it often goes undetected. Due to its retiring nature, exact population estimates are difficult to obtain.

Hooded Mergansers are found in the forested areas of eastern North America, with the densest concentrations around the Great Lakes. Another population breeds in the forested Pacific Northwest. In between, they occur mainly as migrants, if at all. This merganser is the only member of its genus to occur exclusively in North America.

Although precise trends are difficult to pin down for this secretive species, Hooded Mergansers probably bred widely across eastern North America in pre-colonial times. Their numbers had declined drastically by John James Audubon’s day, as North America’s forests were cleared. The population hit historic lows during the mid-1900s, but is now thought to be rebounding in many areas, thanks in part to modern forest conservation programs. Presently, numbers are thought to be stable, if not increasing slightly. Estimates vary, but the current population of about 350,000 individuals makes the Hooded Merganser one of North America’s least numerous ducks.  

 

Today, the major threat to Hooded Mergansers is habitat loss. Responsible management of North America’s forests is imperative, as Hooded Mergansers rely on the presence of large, cavity-bearing trees for nest sites. Over-hunting presents another challenge. Even though they are not popular game birds, an estimated 80,000 Hooded Mergansers—up to 26% of the global population—are killed by hunters in the United States and Canada each year. Continued monitoring of bag limits and seasonal restrictions is crucial. Hooded Mergansers also make ready use of human-made nest boxes, often nesting in structures intended for Wood Ducks.

Provide Hooded Merganser nest boxes in appropriate habitats. For plans and placement tips, visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Birdhouse Network website: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/birdhouse/resources/

 

Remain aware of local, regional, and federal land management decisions, particularly those that affect our forests and wetlands.

 

Contact your legislators in support of wise land management initiatives, such as wetland restoration, and The North American Waterfowl Management Plan.

 Ducks Unlimited maintains important information on many issues affecting North American waterfowl: http://www.ducks.org/conservation/index.asp

 

Visit our resources page for more information about this species.

Dugger, B. D., K. M. Dugger, and L. H. Fredrickson. 1994. Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus). In The Birds of North America, No. 98 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, D.C.: The American Ornithologists’ Union.

 

Kaufman, Kenn. 1996. Lives of North American Birds. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York.

 

Kortright, Francis H. 1943. The Ducks, Geese and Swans of North America. The American Wildlife Institute, Washington D.C.