Melanitta americana
The Black Scoter, *Melanitta americana*, is a distinctive and robust sea duck easily identified by its entirely sooty-black plumage in adult males, punctuated by a prominent, bulbous yellow-orange knob on its bill. Females are dark brown overall, with a contrasting paler cheek patch that extends from the base of the bill to behind the eye. Measuring 43-56 cm (17-22 in) in length with a wingspan of 75-90 cm (30-35 in) and weighing 850-1200 g (1.9-2.6 lbs), it is a medium-sized duck. Taxonomica...
This species primarily breeds on freshwater tundra ponds, bogs, and small lakes in the Arctic and subarctic. During winter, it inhabits coastal marine environments, bays, estuaries, and occasionally large freshwater lakes.
Their diet consists mainly of mollusks (especially clams and mussels), crustaceans, and aquatic insects, which they obtain by diving. Some plant material, particularly seeds, may be consumed seasonally.
Black Scoters are primarily diurnal, active foragers, often seen diving in synchrony with others in their flock. Their foraging strategy involves deep dives to the seafloor or lakebed to procure benthic invertebrates, using their specialized bill to extract prey. They are generally not strongly t...
The Black Scoter has a widespread distribution across the Northern Hemisphere. Its breeding range is concentrated in the Arctic and subarctic regions of North America, extending from Alaska across the Canadian Arctic, south to parts of Quebec and Newfoundland, and occasionally in northeastern U.S...
Least Concern
- The Black Scoter is the only duck species in North America where the adult male is entirely black, lacking any white markings. - Male Black Scoters possess a unique, swollen, yellow-orange knob on their bill, whose exact function is still debated but is thought to play a role in sexual display....