Surf Scoter
Melanitta perspicillata
- Class
- Bird
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 22,900
- Most observed in
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
The surf scoter is a large sea duck native to North America. Adult males are almost entirely black with characteristic white patches on the forehead and the nape and adult females are slightly smaller and browner. Surf scoters breed in Northern Canada and Alaska and winter along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America. They are diving ducks and mainly feed on benthic invertebrates, mussels representing an important part of their diet.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Surf scoter”.