Such is the life of a nascent hooded merganser. A hooded merganser nest was found on May 12 at Sue Ames Prairie. From inside the nest, the little fluffballs scramble up to the entrance hole and then flutter to the ground, which may be 50 feet or more below them . Females also are “hooded” with a gray and brown head and a cinnamon-colored body. See the hooded merganser nest box and print or just view nest box plans on a mobile device in your work space. The bird is striking in appearance; both sexes have crests that they can raise or lower, and the breeding plumage of the male is handsomely patterned and coloured. A rolling frog-like crraaa-crrrooooo call is given as the head is returned to the upright position and turned away from the intended female. The Hooded merganser is the smallest of the three North American mergansers, and is uncommon in our area. In December I had eight minutes and twenty-four seconds to photograph this Hooded Merganser drake and every time I have gone to the local pond after that I have looked for him to be there again. Breeding in North America: Alaska to nw USA, se Canada to se USA; can be seen in 30 countries. The top of the head, neck and back are all black, and the chest, breast and belly are white. Hooded Mergansers are short-distance migrants, wintering in the … It is generally seen on ponds such as the one that can be seen from the boardwalk at Beard’s Hollow, or … The hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) is a species of merganser.It is the only extant species in the genus Lophodytes.The genus name derives from the Greek language: lophos meaning 'crest', and dutes meaning 'diver'. 2 Click here to hear the short one-note call of a female Hooded Merganser, responding to a male in courtship The first formal description of the common merganser was by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae.He introduced the current binomial name Mergus merganser. The Hooded Merganser is a sea duck, being able to dive for fish and staying underwater for some time and using its sawbill to catch and grip the fish. Feeds on fish and aquatic insects. Hooded mergansers inhabit woodlands bordering rivers and ponds. Ducklings in the water may gather together in a tight compact group resembling a swimming muskrat. They have thin, serrated bills tipped with a hooked nail, and fan-shaped, collapsible crests. Normally I can get no where near these skittish diving ducks. They also use specially made nest boxes, which you can build using MDC plans. The hooded merganser regularly breeds in our state. This was the the first hooded merganser nesting at Goose Pond. It winters along our coast, but is also a breeding bird in our area. “Hooded Merganser ducklings leave their nest cavity within 24 hours of hatching. The Hooded Merganser Duck (Lophodytes cucullatus) is the smallest of the merganser species in North America. A small duck with a slender pointed bill. All it took was laying on frost covered ice cold boulders in 25 degree temps for three hours and pretending I was a rock to get these shots. The crest shows a large white patch when raised; white stripe extends backwards from eye when lowered. TO BOOK THIS HUNT PLEASE CALL 1-800-520-5258 FOR MORE DETAILS ON THIS HUNT CLICK HERE: Hunting Tips & Tactics: The drake Hooded Merganser is much better known for his good looks then his table fare. Some refer to hooded mergansers as frog ducks because of the long guttural call that can be heard a half mile away. Snowy Call $119.00 . Dark wings have white shoulder patch visible in flight. With a voice that sounds more like a frog than a bird, a male Hooded Merganser is courting a female. Hooded Mergansers are the smallest member of the North American merganser family (there is a smaller species in Europe known as the Smew). Call 1-800-392-1111 to report poaching and arson. They dive for small fish, insects, roots and seeds in waters rich with aquatic vegetation. Females and immature males are brown overall with a puffy crest and a thin orange stripe along the bottom of the bill. Mergansers are our only ducks that specialize in eating fish. Deals COVID-19 Updates FAQ's Safety Pledge. Hooded Merganser . During migration and winter, as many as 40 mergansers may gather together in one place. The hooded merganser is the smallest of the three merganser species occurring in North America. The Hooded merganser is the smallest of the three North American mergansers, and is uncommon in our area and breeds at the Refuge. Hooded Merganser: This small merganser has black upperparts, white underparts with two black bars on side of breast, and red-brown flanks. Delicious pre-prepared items delivered directly to your vehicle Check out our exclusive, Hood at Home Packaged meals delivered directly to your vehicle and prepared by the Hooded Merganser Executive Chef, Dan V Inspired by our very own Valley View Farm Available 7-days a week Limited quantity. Room stays offered exclusively to Hooded Merganser dinner guests Call 250.487.4663 to reserve or find out more Available only on Valentine’s Day 2021 – Seating limited – Reservations recommended $950.00 It lives on freshwater lakes, wooded wetlands and tidal shallows throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed from autumn through spring. As he displays to the rust-colored female, he fans his crown feathers into an extravagant, circular crest, white with black outlining. Wavy black lines can be seen on the tawny sides and flanks. They use saw-toothed bills to feed on aquatic life like frogs, insects, juvenile fish and mud crabs as well as bay grasses and seeds. Its habitat preference is for forested wetlands. F1889 Ca 1978 Hooded Merganser-sketch Pane Of 5 D03022-01-05 Sb Michaelsen. 12 Erie St - Fisherman's Wharf Victoria, BC Get 10-20% off your next tour! Our Magazines. It is generally seen on ponds, or fresh to brackish backwaters in the refuge. Photo by Ray Hennessy/Shutterstock. Call 1-250-384-8008. Conservationist Magazine. Like wood ducks, they nest in tree cavities and require standing dead trees for this purpose. 1 Click here to hear the grunting/growling sound of a male Hooded Merganser. This instinctive behavior may deceive aerial predators like sharp-shinned hawks. Small duck; feeds by diving to catch mainly fish with thin, serrated bill. First, their mother checks the area around the nest and calls to the nestlings from ground level. Hooded Mergansers are small ducks, the smallest of the three species of mergansers found in North America. The genus name is a Latin word used by Pliny and other Roman authors to refer to an unspecified waterbird, and merganser is derived from mergus and anser, Latin for "goose". Sign up. Hooded Merganser drake swimming by – Nikon D500, f6.3, 1/640, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light. The Hooded is the smallest of our three native merganser species, and often seems to be the least numerous, as it tends to live around swamps and wooded ponds where it may be overlooked. The hooded merganser is a diving duck with a distinctive fan-like hood on the back of the head. Stay in Touch with MDC. They nest in tree or stump cavities and in well placed nest boxes. The Hooded Merganser finds its prey underwater by sight. The male’s outstanding feature is the black and white fan shaped crest that gives the bird its name sake. The Hooded Merganser is a distinctively plumaged member of the sawbill group and a native to North America. The male Hooded Merganser has an extravagant, large black and white crest outlined in black and bright yellow-orange eyes. Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) bird calls and sounds on dibird.com. A male and female Hooded Merganser. Taxonomy. Yesterday started off dreary but later in the afternoon I was able to get out in the field and I had a blast taking photos of a spiffy drake Hooded Merganser for a little while. Gray Call $119.00 . Listen to Wood duck on bird-sounds.net - a comprehensive collection of North American bird songs and bird calls. Male hooded mergansers have a large white crest surrounded by black. Measure 16-19 feet (41–48 cm). The drakes are a striking combination of black, white and redish brown. We checked the nest box on May 18th and the young were ready to jump out. Their extravagant crests, or “hoods” give their heads an oversized, oblong appearance. Females have a short one-note call during courtship, and also have a multi-note call often heard in flight. Stay in Touch with MDC news, newsletters, events, and manage your subscription. Nests in cavities. Photo by Mark Martin Rapid direct flight with fast wing beats. The Hooded Merganser is the only Merganser whose native habitat is restricted to North America. Main menu. The Hooded Merganser’s elaborate courtship displays are intermediate between the mergansers and the goldeneyes. White Call $119.00 . Merganser Duck svg update 2019-05-27 14:09:07 All merganser hunting file silhouette cricut deer duck $94 00 bird mallard cutting files instant download mergus hunter file mallard file drake commercial personal vector cricut silhouette cameo vinyl decal Home; Hooded Merganser; Mergus cucullatus Description. Prompted by their mother’s call, downy day-old chicks clamber up to the opening in the tree and leap into space, plunging head-over-tail some 50 feet down to bounce on the forest floor. ©Nigel Key Hooded Merganser (Slimbridge November 2017) Hooded Mergansers are the second smallest species of merganser, with only the Smew of Europe and Asia being smaller. Call 250-493-8221 to order View_Menu Call Ducks. In Georgia, folks call this species the “frog-duck” because of the male’s repeated call that sounds much like the local pickerel frog. The hooded merganser is a saw-billed diving duck named for the fan-like hood or crest at the back of the head which can be expanded or contracted. The adult males are a gorgeous little bird, although a fairly small bird, with a distinct black head and neck and white crest. Chicks take to the water right away to hunt aquatic insects. Nine membranes from hatched eggs and one unhatched egg. Clutches are 5-13, though females sometimes lay eggs in each others’ nests, increasing the number of eggs in a nest. Breeding males have showy black and white crest, a couple zebra stripes on their white breast, and chestnut sides. Missouri Department of Conservation Missouri ... hooded_merganser_male_12-09-12.jpg. Portrait of an alert drake Hooded Merganser – Nikon D500, f6.3, 1/1000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light. 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