Hooded Merganser
Hooded Merganser has surged: up 149% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Hooded Merganser
The Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) is a North American member of the Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl (Anatidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the waterfowl.
- Size
- 12–43.5 in long (30–110 cm) — a medium to large waterfowl (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes and sheltered coastal waters.
- Diet
- Aquatic plants, seeds and invertebrates, dabbled at the surface or dived for.
- Range
- Recorded on 434 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 37 states, most concentrated in the Boreal Hardwood Transition.
- Family
- Anatidae · Waterfowl
Notable Hooded Merganser Trends
No notable trend signals for Hooded Merganser. See the full index history below.
Hooded Merganser Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Hooded Merganser is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.03 (95% range 0.02–0.03). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±18.7%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| 2026 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| 2027 | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| 2028 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.03 |
| 2029 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.03 |
Where the Hooded Merganser Is Detected
BBS routes recording Hooded Merganser, sized by most recent count.
Hooded Merganser Population Trend by State
| Alabama | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Alaska | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| Arkansas | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Colorado | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Connecticut | -82% | 1983 | 5 |
| Idaho | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Illinois | -77% | 1994 | 18 |
| Indiana | insufficient data | n/a | 6 |
| Iowa | insufficient data | n/a | 9 |
| Kansas | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Kentucky | insufficient data | n/a | 6 |
| Maine | +233% | 1991 | 27 |
| Maryland | insufficient data | n/a | 6 |
| Massachusetts | +31% | 2001 | 9 |
| Michigan | +46% | 1993 | 35 |
| Minnesota | -52% | 1978 | 53 |
| Mississippi | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| Missouri | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Montana | +67% | 1996 | 9 |
| Nebraska | insufficient data | n/a | 7 |
| New Hampshire | +15% | 1982 | 18 |
| New York | -1% | 1970 | 36 |
| North Dakota | 11× | 1991 | 20 |
| Ohio | insufficient data | n/a | 6 |
| Oklahoma | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Oregon | -86% | 1975 | 11 |
| Pennsylvania | -4% | 1992 | 19 |
| Rhode Island | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| South Carolina | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| South Dakota | insufficient data | n/a | 7 |
| Tennessee | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Texas | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Vermont | +350% | 1992 | 12 |
| Washington | -64% | 1988 | 26 |
| West Virginia | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| Wisconsin | -20% | 1968 | 51 |
| Wyoming | insufficient data | n/a | 6 |
Hooded Merganser Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | -74% | 1984 | 28 |
| Great Basin | -48% | 1989 | 9 |
| Northern Rockies | -39% | 1991 | 16 |
| Prairie Potholes | +107% | 1973 | 48 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | +35% | 1970 | 68 |
| Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain | -52% | 1985 | 20 |
| Atlantic Northern Forest | +484% | 1969 | 66 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | -75% | 1992 | 30 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | +36% | 1968 | 56 |
| Central Hardwoods | -52% | 1994 | 8 |
| Appalachian Mountains | -10% | 1982 | 37 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | -56% | 1983 | 18 |
Hooded Merganser Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 149% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.