Baby hooded mergansers: from egg to fledgling
A Hooded Merganser lays 6–18 eggs. They hatch after 26–41 days, and the young leave the nest Ducklings leave within 24 hours later — about 50–65 days from egg to fledgling.
- Eggs per clutch
- 6–18 eggs
- Incubation
- 26–41 days
- Time in the nest
- Ducklings leave within 24 hours
- Egg to fledgling
- About 50–65 days
- Broods per year
- 1 per season
- Nest
- Tree cavity or nest box near water
- Uses nest boxes
- Yes — 4 × 3 in oval hole
Stage by stage
- Eggs (26–41 days): 6–18 eggs per clutch. Most songbirds start incubating when the last or second-to-last egg is laid, so the young hatch close together; owls and hawks start with the first egg, so their chicks hatch days apart.
- Nestlings (Ducklings leave within 24 hours): the young hatch with little or no down and their eyes closed. They grow fast on a diet the parents bring in. In the breeding season hooded mergansers mainly eat minnows, crayfish and aquatic insects.
- Fledglings: after leaving the nest, young hooded mergansers are fully feathered but short-tailed and clumsy. They spend days to weeks on low branches or the ground while the parents keep feeding them.
- More broods: 1 per season.
When hooded mergansers nest, state by state
Nesting starts earliest in Alabama (Jan) and latest in British Columbia (Mar). Months are estimates from regional breeding data shifted for latitude.
| State / province | Nesting season |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Jan–May |
| Arkansas | Feb–May |
| British Columbia | Mar–May |
| California | Jan–May |
| Connecticut | Feb–May |
| Delaware | Feb–May |
| Florida | Jan–May |
| Georgia | Jan–May |
| Illinois | Feb–May |
| Indiana | Feb–May |
| Iowa | Feb–May |
| Kentucky | Feb–May |
| Louisiana | Jan–May |
| Maine | Mar–May |
| Manitoba | Mar–May |
| Maryland | Feb–May |
| Massachusetts | Feb–May |
| Michigan | Feb–May |
| Minnesota | Mar–May |
| Mississippi | Jan–May |
| Missouri | Feb–May |
| New Brunswick | Mar–May |
| New Hampshire | Mar–May |
| New Jersey | Feb–May |
| New York | Feb–May |
| North Carolina | Feb–May |
| Ohio | Feb–May |
| Ontario | Mar–May |
| Oregon | Feb–May |
| Pennsylvania | Feb–May |
| Quebec | Mar–May |
| Rhode Island | Feb–May |
| Saskatchewan | Mar–May |
| South Carolina | Jan–May |
| Tennessee | Feb–May |
| Vermont | Mar–May |
| Virginia | Feb–May |
| Washington | Feb–May |
| West Virginia | Feb–May |
| Wisconsin | Mar–May |
Found a baby Hooded Merganser?
- Feathered, hopping, can grip your finger: a fledgling. This is a normal stage. Keep pets and children away and watch from a distance; the parents are usually close by.
- Bare skin or only pin feathers: a nestling that fell. If you can see the nest, put it back. Touching it won't make the parents abandon it — that is a myth.
- Injured, cold, covered in flies, or caught by a cat: contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. In the US and Canada, ahnow.org finds the nearest one.
- Don't give water or food. Baby birds can choke, and the wrong food can kill them.
More about hooded mergansers
Frequently asked
How long do baby hooded mergansers stay in the nest?
About Ducklings leave within 24 hours after hatching. Eggs take 26–41 days to hatch, so it is roughly 50–65 days from the last egg to the young leaving.
How many eggs does a Hooded Merganser lay?
6–18 eggs per clutch, with 1 per season.
Where do hooded mergansers nest?
Tree cavity or nest box near water.
What should I do if I find a baby Hooded Merganser on the ground?
If it has feathers and hops, it is a fledgling and its parents are almost certainly nearby — leave it. If it is naked or has pin feathers, put it back in the nest if you can. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator if it is injured.