Medical Emergency Fund Page for the Hooded Mergansers

An adorable group of three young hooded mergansers were recently admitted to Wild ARC after a good Samaritan found them wandering alone on a local hiking trail and seemingly crying out for mom. The Samaritan called Wild ARC and with the support of staff, was able to safely contain these beautiful little birds for transport to Wild ARC.

The Hooded Merganser is a small duck with a thin bill and a fan-shaped, collapsible crest that can make their heads look oblong. These ducks are usually found on small bodies of freshwater. During the summer you may see them nest in holes in trees, or near freshwater ponds or rivers. Although relatively common, Wild ARC only admits a few of these birds a year.

Seabirds like these mergansers are high stress and intensive to rehabilitate. We don’t know what happened to their mother, but they’re in good hands now. They will require many weeks of specialized care and staff support to ensure they grow up healthy and strong for life back in the wild.

Their care will include constant monitoring, frequent cleanings, and specialized diets and enclosures to provide the proper nutrition and environment they need to develop. As the mergansers grow they will be kept in progressive enclosures with temperature-regulated pools that need to be maintained in pristine condition so their feathers and body conditioning remain in great shape. Like for all birds, poor feather quality can be fatal, especially for seabirds who are on the water a lot! 

The care and support these beautiful mergansers require is costly. Although they’re growing up quickly, they still have a long way to go before they will be ready for release.

Please help us care for these little hooded mergansers by donating today. We will update you about how your donation has helped care for these patients. If the cost of care is less than is raised for them, additional funds will provide care for other wild animals in need.