Bird Calls Radio's Bird of the Day for Friday, Aug. 12

The Bird Calls Radio Bird of the Day for Friday, Aug. 12 is the hooded merganser. A smallish duck that nests in mid- and northern New England, and visits southern New England during migration periods, and throughout winter as long as water remains unfrozen.

One of three merganser species in New England, the hooded merganser is the smallest. Common mergansers and red-breasted mergansers are the other mergansers. Common mergansers favor freshwater and red-breasted mergansers favor saltwater, although red-breasted mergansers may also be found on freshwater. Hooded mergansers may be found on either fresh- or saltwater, although not usually on big bodies of saltwater.

All mergansers have serrated bills that help them hold onto fish they catch after diving under the surface. Above is a male hooded merganser. Females are brown. Males either fan or flatten their ornamental head.

When I did a survey several years ago on New England’s “favorite bird,” I kicked it off with a column on my favorite bird: the hooded merganser.

Be sure to check out Bird Calls every Saturday from 3 to 4 p.m. on WSTC/WNLK AM1400/1350 (in S. CT and nearby NY) or www.wstcwnlk.com from anywhere in the world (where there’s Internet access, that is.) Thanks for checking in.