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Bird name:

Black Scoter

Melanitta nigraOrder: ANSERIFORMES Family: Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)
Codes: Common Name: BLSC Scientific Name: MENNIG ITIS Taxonomic No.: 175171
Black Scoter Portrait
Family Diving Ducks (Anatidae)_blue
Species Melanitta nigra
Length17 - 21 Inches
Wingspan32.5 Inches

Black Scoter

Black Scoter: Medium diving duck, entirely black except for yellow knob at base of black bill. Legs and feet are black. The male is the only all black duck in North America. Dives for food, primarily eats mollusks. Strong direct flight with rapid wing beats. Flies in straight line and V formation.

● Song: Generally silent

● Foraging & Feeding: Black Scoter: Feeds on mollusks, crustaceans, small fish, aquatic plants, and algae; forages by diving from the surface.

● Breeding & nesting: Black Scoter: Five to eight buff to pink buff eggs are laid in a down-lined cup of grass hidden in a rock crevice or clump of grass near water. Incubation ranges from 27 to 28 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Black Scoter: American Black Duck has yellow-green bill.

Flight Pattern

Strong direct flight with powerful rapid wing beats.
Black Scoter Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Black Scoter: Breeds in western Alaska, Labrador, and Newfoundland. Spends winters along coasts from Alaska south to California, from Newfoundland south to the Carolinas, along portions of the Gulf coast, and on the Great Lakes. Breeding habitats include ponds in boreal forests; spends winters on oceans and in large saltwater bays.
BreedingMonogamous
PopulationCommon to fairly common
MigrationMigratory
Weight38.4 Ounces
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX