It’s time for a new post about the Hooded Merganser Duck! This bird definitely scores high in the style department – rocking amazing head feathers!
To be honest I had never heard of this duck before last year when I spotted a Male in Algonquin. I was amazed by the feather patterns on its body, and of course its amazingly feathered head (“hood”). Just a few days ago, @elizabeth__bruno and I had a chance encounter with a few in a local marsh area. It was quite an experience and drove me to further research these interesting birds. There will be lots of interesting info to share. I hope you enjoy!
Hooded Mergansers are excellent swimmers and find their food underwater using their vision. Many aquatic birds, including Mergansers can adjust the refractive properties of their eyes to improve their underwater viewing as they chase fish. Their serrated and hooked bill works perfectly to hold fish once caught. They also have an extra eyelid (“nictitating membrane”). It is transparent and acts like goggles to protect the eye!
Many aquatic birds, including Mergansers can adjust the refractive properties of their eyes to improve their underwater viewing as they chase fish.
After seeing the female Hooded Merganser, and getting a few photos, @elizabeth__bruno and I found it odd that she seemed to be somewhat aprehensive of our presence, yet wouldn’t fly. Instead, she slowly swam away from us, following the ponds edge and softly quacking. While this was happening, we noticed a very slight rustle in the reeds. This female had chicks! I had just enough time to snap a few blurry photos as one by one, the chicks swam single fine in between the reeds following their mothers call. Such a smart strategy! .
We waited patiently at the side of the pond, hoping the female and chicks would get used to our presence and allow us to have a clear view of the chicks out in the open. After about 40 minutes the mother signaled the all clear to her chicks and they all started to emerge from the reeds. We counted 10 chicks in all 🙂
Hooded Merganser females create their nests inside tree cavities off the ground (sometimes as high as 50 feet)! Within just 24 hours each chick will leave the nest. They actually have specially designed tiny claws on their flippers that allow them to climb out of the nest cavity. Since their wings are not developed enough to fly, they will quite literally fall out of the opening and bounce off the ground! Once the chicks have all made their leap of faith, the mother will lead them to the nearest body of water.
I came back to the same pond for two more consecutive evenings. This shot was taken the 2nd evening. Again it took about 30 or 40 minutes for the female and chicks to get used to me, but once they did, she allowed me to observe their playful behavior from a reasonable distance. Interesting fact: once the chicks leave their nest (within just 24h of hatching) they are fully capable of swimming and hunting tiny fish. We actually saw one of the chicks come out of the water with a tiny minnow in its mouth! It is so amazing how much instinct is hard wired into these tiny young creatures.
This is a really special photo for me. On the third day I came to watch this family, I really wanted to increase my trust with them. The previous two days I would sit cross legged at the corner of a dock on their pond and was allowed to get a glimpse into their lives as they swam about at a distance. While this was great, I could always see the female was keeping a close eye on me, making sure I did not pose a threat to her chicks. I decided this day to lay completely flat on the dock, keeping as low of a profile as possible. It really did work. After 10 minutes or so, the female actually was facing away from me on the log and the chicks slowly drifted off to sleep. I watched this scene unfold for about 30 minutes, when all of a sudden the female flew away with her babies still sleeping on the log. I could not believe it, had I really just gained enough trust with her to leave me alone with her sleeping chicks!? At that moment I was really tempted to get up for a closer look, but I stayed where I was and just appreciated the trust I had gained. The more time I spend with wild animals, the more I am learning that they are the ones that should dictate how close of a shot we get to take. It is a privilege to be in their world, and we don’t always have to come away with a once in a lifetime shot to have a successful wildlife encounter. About 5 minutes later their mother did a few circles overhead and landed again on the pond.
I think this female can pull off the slicked back look better than I can lol. While I was still laying down on the dock, she swam close to me and began putting her beak into the water to drink. It was it was so neat to watch her do her thing without feeling that I was a threat. An interesting fact I learned recently is that other Mergansers have a limited diet of only small fish, but Hooded Mergansers also feed on small crustations and aquatic insects. One more random thing I learned, but something I have wondered about for a while, is that “beak” and “bill” are interchangeable terms. I have always been unsure which to use.
I hope you guys enjoyed this Hooded Merganser post. I had so much fun observing these birds, and learning about them. I have a much greater appreciation for ducks in general and especially these Mergansers. I am hoping to go out to see them again when they have grown a bit more. If I do, I will be sure to post more photos. I hope you have a wonderful weekend! 👍
