Where does the hooded merganser nest and breed?
In the Bay watershed, hooded mergansers breed locally in parts of Maryland. • Hooded mergansers nest in wooded areas such as forested ponds, wetlands and riverbanks. • The female merganser lays five to 10 glossy white eggs, which hatch after about 33 days. If the female is disturbed while incubating her eggs she will abandon the clutch, and can often lay a new clutch if the eggs are eaten by predators. • Hooded merganser ducklings are covered in down and are able to feed themselves. They remain in the nest for about a day before following the female to a water source to dive for food. • The ducklings fledge by the time they are 10 weeks old. Other facts about the hooded merganser: • Though they are strong, swift swimmers, hooded mergansers are awkward on land because their legs are situated far back on their body. • When they are startled, hooded mergansers are one of the of the swiftest diving ducks to jump from the water. • Rather than flying, hooded mergansers prefer to follow water
