Hooded Merganser

Hooded Merganser

Hooded Merganser

© Roy DeLonga

Construction Difficulty

moderate difficulty moderate

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Nesting Range

Hooded Merganser Range
Source: Birds of the World

Nesting Habitat

  • icon Forest
  • icon Marsh
  • icon River

Attach Nest Box To

  • Live tree icon Live tree
  • Pole icon Pole
  • Post icon Post

Known Nesting Period

Not Nesting
Some Nesting Occurrence
Nesting in Most of Range
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
Source: Birds of the World

Nest Box Placement

Height Range From Ground

6ft
25ft
6–25 feet

Spacing Between Nest Boxes

100 feet

Facing

Entrance hole facing visualization
Toward Water

Nest Box Measurements

Entrance Hole Size

Entrance hole size visualization 3" high x 4" wide

Nest Box Depth (inside)

Nest box depth visualization 24"

Nest Box Width and Length

Nest box width and length visualization 8" 9 1/4"

Helpful Tips

  • Install nest boxes by mid-March near, or over, water.
  • Add 2–3 inches of wood shavings to the bottom of the box.
  • Avoid disturbing nesting females early in the egg-laying stage.
  • Hooded Merganser eggs can be reliably told apart from Wood Duck eggs by their unusually thick eggshells.