HOODED MERGANSER 

 ( Lophodytes cucullatus ) 



[DA: Hjelmskallesluger , DU: Kuifzaagbek, FI: Vaippakoskelo, FR: Harle couronne, 

 GE: Kappensager, IT: Sraergo americano, SP: Serreta cabezona, SW: Kamskrake] 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION 



Hooded Mergansers breed in two disjunct portions of North America. A 

 western population nests from southeastern Alaska and southern British Columbia 

 eastward into the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, northwestern Montana and northern 

 Idaho, south through Washington and western Oregon through the Cascades, in the 

 Sierra Nevada to central California, and in the Rocky Mountains to Colorado. 

 The eastern population breeds from southern Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New 

 Brunswick, and Nova Scotia south through the Mississippi Valley and the Appala- 

 chian Mountains, sporadically to Kansas, northern Louisiana, Mississippi, and 

 Alabama (AOU 1957, Bellrose 1976, Palmer 1976b). Nesting is very rare and 

 sporadic on the southeastern coastal plain, but has occurred even to Florida 

 (Sprunt 1954, Repenning and Webster 1978). Both parts of the breeding range 

 may be expanding (Bellrose 1976, Palmer 1976b). Birds from the western region 

 winter in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California, south rarely to 

 Mexico. Those from the eastern region winter on the Atlantic and Gulf coastal 

 plain from New England to Texas, although some occur farther inland, particu- 

 larly in mild winters (AOU 1957, Johnsgard 1975, Bellrose 1976, Palmer 1976b). 

 Estimates for the total pre-breeding spring population total about 76,000 birds 

 (Bellrose 1976). 



The Hooded Merganser is a common migrant and winter visitor in the south- 

 eastern states south to central Florida. It is less common in southern Florida, 

 and its relative abundance decreases to the west through Louisiana and Texas 

 (Map 30). It is primarily a bird of inland and fresh water areas, although some 

 occur along the coast. The Hooded Merganser was apparently much more widespread 

 and numerous in earlier days. The species declined with the clearing of bottom- 

 land forests and the draining of swamp and marsh land. Since the 1930's, an in- 

 crease in numbers has been noted, and the more southerly areas are being invaded 

 or recolonized. Much of the nesting in the Prairie States and in the southeast 

 takes place in boxes placed for Wood Ducks (Bellrose 1976, Palmer 1976b). Some 

 nesting has been reported in recent years in all the southeastern states except 

 Texas . 



SUSCEPTIBILITY TO OIL POLLUTION 



No records of oil pollution of Hooded Mergansers are available. Because 

 the species is seldom found offshore in salt water, the potential for oiling 

 poses little threat to the species in the southeastern states. 



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