Hooded Merganser Duck - Duck Hunting - Wetland Hunting

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Hooded Merganser Duck

 

Description

Hooded Merganser ducks are small birds with thin bills and a crest that's collapsible and fan-shaped. The crest makes the head look oversized and oval. When flying, the wings of the Hooded Mergansers are thin with the tail appearing long and rounded. These ducks have a length range of 40 to 49 cm, weigh 453 - 879 g and have a wingspan of 60 – 66 cm.

Description
The males have a large white crest that's surrounded by black. The neck, back, and top of the head are black while the chest, belly, and breast are white. The rump, tail and hind back are dark-brown with wavy black lines on the flanks and tawny sides. They have black, long, narrow, serrated bills, bright yellow iris, and dull yellow legs and feet.

Female hooded mergansers have a gray-brown head & neck with a reddish-brown crest. Gray permeates their flanks, neck, sides, and chest while their tail, back, and rump are dominated with brownish-black color. The female ducks have a brown iris while their legs and feet are green. The upper bill is mainly black with orange edges while the lower bill is yellowish.

Habitat
The main habitats are rivers, ponds, and wooded lakes. In summer, the Hooded Merganser lives in narrow rivers, along creeks, forested country, and edges of ponds. In winter, these game birds occupy woodland ponds, fresh & brackish estuaries, wooded swamps.

Diet
Fish and other aquatic life are the main diets. But, the Hooded Merganser ducks also feed on crayfish, small fish, aquatic insects, tadpoles, mollusks, some plant materials, and other crustaceans. The hooded merganser forages by swimming and diving underwater while propelling using their feet. The young ducklings feed on insects mainly to derive much-needed growth nutrients.

Nesting
Mating pairs are formed late in fall or winter. In courtship displays, the male hooded mergansers raise and spread their crests. These birds build their nests in tree cavities about 10' to 50' above the ground although the elevation might reach 80'. At times, the hooded mergansers can use artificial nest boxes to incubate their eggs. Females use natural wood chips and debris are used to build the nest.

Eggs
Female hooded merganser lay 10 -12 white eggs although some lay 7 to 13 eggs. Sometimes, females lay eggs in the nests of other birds like Wood ducks or hooded mergansers. Incubation is done by the females for 26 – 41 days (mostly for 33 days). The young leave the nest a day after hatching to find their own food in wetlands. Female hooded merganser calls the young ones from below so that they can climb to the entrance of the cavity then jump to the ground. The young are tended for a few weeks by the females then fledge 70 days after hatching.


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