Skip to Content Area

All About Birds

Donate

All About Birds

All About Birds

Birds
Live Cams
Courses
Bird ID

Hooded Merganser Range Map

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Range Map
Sightings Map

Range Map for Hooded Merganser

Year-roundBreedingMigrationNonbreeding

Migration

Resident to medium-distance migrant. In eastern North America, many Hooded Mergansers move south and southwest in winter, but some actually migrate north to spend winters in the Great Lakes and southern Canada. Most of the Hooded Mergansers that breed in the upper Midwest migrate along the Mississippi River. Hooded Mergansers breeding west of the Rockies migrate west and south toward the Pacific. Hooded Mergansers are late fall migrants, sometimes moving just ahead of winter ice. In spring they arrive early at breeding grounds, within a few days of the ice melting.

Learn more at Birds of the World

Compare with Similar Species

Click on an image to compare

Red-breasted Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Common Merganser

Looking for ID Help?

Get Instant ID help for 650+ North American birds.

Try Merlin Bird ID

Species in This Family

Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl(Order: Anseriformes, Family: Anatidae)

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck

Fulvous Whistling-Duck

Greater White-fronted Goose

Pink-footed Goose

Blue-winged Teal

Northern Shoveler

Eurasian Wigeon

American Wigeon

American Black Duck

Northern Pintail

Green-winged Teal

Ring-necked Duck

Steller's Eider

Spectacled Eider

White-winged Scoter

Long-tailed Duck

Common Goldeneye

Barrow's Goldeneye

Hooded Merganser

Common Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Browse Species in This Family

More to Read

You're seeing fewer hummingbirds at your feeder. Should you worry?
Birding Festivals and Events
A hawk has started hunting the feeder birds in my yard. What can I do?

Living Bird Magazine
Learn How to ID These 5 Confusing Streaked Sparrows
Living Bird Magazine
What's That Bird Song? Merlin Bird ID Can Tell You
BirdCast
How to Use BirdCast Dashboard to See Your Local Migration in Detail

About Us

Contact Us

© 2023 Cornell University

Need Bird ID Help? Try Merlin

Search for species name or keywords

Or Browse Bird Guide by Family or Shape

Need Bird ID Help? Try Merlin

Don't miss a thing! Join our email list

The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds,
birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation.