Average length: M 18.1 in, F 17 . The Hooded Merganser is the smallest of three North American mergansers and the only one restricted to this continent. Nest Box Hooded Mergansers Wood Duck, Hooded Merganser, Common and Barrow’s Goldeneyes 11¼" Attach 4" x 12" piece of ¼" mesh hardware cloth.
The nest is made from materials found in the cavity. The hooded merganser is the smallest of the three merganser species occurring in North America. Recess the ˜oor ½" up. Completed Box Roof should overhang house ¾" in the back and 1" along the sides.
I have witnessed both species win battle for a particular nest box, and the winner often incubates a mixed clutch of eggs.
Description. We checked the nest box on May 18th and the young were ready to jump out. “Hooded” is something of an understatement for this extravagantly crested little duck.
Hooded Mergansers will take to nest boxes or barrels, either on the ground or raised. Adult males are a sight to behold, with sharp black-and-white patterns set off by chestnut flanks. The female finishes off the nest by plucking down from the patch in her belly. 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. Nine membranes from hatched eggs and one unhatched egg. When in breeding plumage, the males have an unmistakably large white crest outlined in black, creating an attractive contrast. Nest: The nest is in a hollow tree close to or over water. The female Hooded Merganser chooses the nest site usually in a tree or nest box 10 to 15 feet above the ground. The ideal size for the entrance hole is 8cm. Hooded Merganser eggs are about one and a half the size of a woody egg.
Hooded Mergansers also accept nest boxes. Females get their own distinctive elegance from their cinnamon crest. The hooded merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) is a diving duck native to North America.As the name suggests, hooded mergansers are literally “hooded” with a large crest. Avoid disturbing nesting females early in the egg-laying stage. Between 10 to 12 spherical and thick-shelled eggs are laid. Latin: Lophodytes cucullatus . A nest box can literally ‘shake’ when the two birds meet inside a box. The only material that the female adds is down plucked from her belly. Hooded mergansers prefer forested wetland systems, where they nest in tree cavities or nest boxes and lay an average of 9-11 eggs. As with all birds that nest in tree holes, dead trees are important habitat components and landowners can improve Hooded Merganser habitat by leaving dead trees standing on their property. Breeding throughout a wide area in the forested east and northwest -- where suitable nest cavities enhance adequate brood habitat -- it is most common in the Great Lakes region. 8–12 white eggs are incubated for 32 to 33 days by the female alone. See more ideas about Birds, Beautiful birds and Bird feathers.