Priorities for Future Research

Large gaps in our understanding of Hooded Merganser ecology remain. Basic information on seasonal food habits, foraging behavior, and foraging habitat preferences is needed, particularly given that this species is carnivorous and some of its common foods are impacted by poor water quality and contaminants. Continued periodic sampling of contaminant levels is warranted. Winter ecology, spacing systems, and bioenergetics are largely unknown. Information from birds using natural nest cavities would be valuable to compare with that collected from populations using nest boxes. Habitat requirements, particularly in the south, are poorly quantified. Some southern nest box programs with large Wood Duck populations lack Hooded Mergansers. Understanding habitat requirements and prey/habitat interactions may help explain the current patchy breeding distribution in the south and suggest management practices to increase southern breeding distributions.