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Surf Scoter

Melanitta perspicillataOrder: ANSERIFORMES Family: Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)
Codes: Common Name: SUSC Scientific Name: MELPER ITIS Taxonomic No.: 175170
Least Concern
 
Surf Scoter
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Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips
Jelly Jar Jelly Feeder
The orange "blossum" replaces the lid of a jelly jar.
Attract Orioles with Fruit
Sliced orange secures easily to the center of the ring. Low cost.
Attract with Nectar
Hex shaped nectar feeds several Orioles. Nectar kept in fridge.
Charm and Attraction
Lovely copper umbrella keeps fruit cool and looks great.

Overview

Surf Scoter: Medium diving duck, entirely black except for white patches on forehead and nape. Bill is orange, black, and white. Eyes are white. Legs and feet are orange. Dives for food, primarily mollusks and crustaceans. Rapid direct flight with strong wing beats. Flies in straight line formation.


Range and Habitat

Surf Scoter: Breeds in Alaska and across northern Canada to Labrador. Spends winters mainly along coasts, from Alaska south to California and from Newfoundland south to Florida, and rarely to Texas. Breeds on northern lakes and spends winters almost entirely on the ocean and in large coastal bays.

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Topo Map: Duck-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

Generally silent

Interesting Facts

 The Surf Scoter has a boldly patterned head that is the basis for its colloquial name "skunk-headed coot." The only scoter confined as a breeding species to America, they are among the least studied of northern waterfowl.

 Rarely diving in water that exceeds 30 feet deep, they forage in the zone of breaking waves, and habitually dive through foaming wave crests.

 Gulls often force surfacing ducks to relinquish their prey, thus flocks frequently dive in unison. This possibly promotes synchronous surfacing, when groups are less likely to be kleptoparasitized than individual ducks.

 A group of ducks has many collective nouns, including a "brace", "flush", "paddling", "raft", and "team" of ducks.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Yury Lisyak

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Range Map for Surf Scoter

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Family Diving Ducks (Anatidae)_blue
Species Melanitta perspicillata
Length17 - 21 Inches
Wingspan33 Inches

Surf Scoter

Surf Scoter: Medium diving duck, entirely black except for white patches on forehead and nape. Bill is orange, black, and white. Eyes are white. Legs and feet are orange. Dives for food, primarily mollusks and crustaceans. Rapid direct flight with strong wing beats. Flies in straight line formation.

● Song: Generally silent

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

● Breeding & nesting: Surf Scoter: Five to eight pale buff, light pink or buff white eggs are laid in a down-lined depression hidden under a bush or in marsh vegetation, not necessarily near water. Incubation is carried out by the female and ranges from 25 to 30 days.

● Similar species: Surf Scoter: Male Black Scoter lacks white on head; female has pale gray lower face and throat. Male White-winged Scoter has white eye and wing patches; female has white wing patches.

Flight Pattern

Rapid direct flight., Strong deep wing beats.
Surf Scoter Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Surf Scoter: Breeds in Alaska and across northern Canada to Labrador. Spends winters mainly along coasts, from Alaska south to California and from Newfoundland south to Florida, and rarely to Texas. Breeds on northern lakes and spends winters almost entirely on the ocean and in large coastal bays.
BreedingMonogamous
PopulationCommon to abundant
MigrationMigratory
Weight35.2 Ounces
Duck-like BodyX
NapeX
Also called the hindneck or collar, it is the back of the neck where the head joins the body.
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