Melanitta perspicillata

• Overview
• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Physical Description

Habitat

Vegetation: freshwater marshes, coastal waters • Sensitivity to Disturbance: High

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 3,869 meters (0 to 12,694 feet).[1]

Ecology: This species breed on small bodies of fresh water in boreal forests or tundra , wintering at sea in shallow waters of bays , eastuaries and river mouths . It feeds chiefly on molluscs , but also eats crustaceans, worms, echinoderms and, mainly in summer, insects and their larvae and plant material , feeding mostly by diving. Its breeding season begins in May or June, breeding in single pairs or loose groups in shallow depressions poorly lined with grass and some feathers1.

[2].

List of Habitats :

•     1     Forest   
  
•     1.1     Forest - Boreal   
  
•     5     Wetlands (inland)   
  
•     5.4     Wetlands (inland) - Bogs , Marshes, Swamps , Fens , Peatlands   
  
•     9     Marine Neritic   
  
•     9.2     Marine Neritic - Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs   
  
•     9.3     Marine Neritic - Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel   
  
•     9.4     Marine Neritic - Subtidal Sandy   
  
•     9.5     Marine Neritic - Subtidal Sandy-Mud   
  
•     9.7     Marine Neritic - Macroalgal/Kelp   
  
•     9.9     Marine Neritic - Seagrass (Submerged)   
[more info]

Biology

Diet

Almost Exclusively: Aquatic Invertebrates Fish. Lesser Quantities of: Green Plant Matter

Reproduction

The Surf Scoter breeds in Northern Canada and Alaska.

• Clutch Size: 5-7
• Number of Broods: 1

Migration

Migratory

Taxonomy

Synonyms

Melanitta perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758)

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 23-Jan-2007

Similar Species

White-Winged Scoter, Black Scoter

Members of the genus Melanitta

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 10 species and subspecies in this genus:

M. americana (Black Scoter) · M. fusca (White-Winged Scoter) · M. fusca deglandi (White-Winged Scoter) · M. fusca dixoni (White-Winged Scoter) · M. fusca fusca (White-Winged Scoter) · M. fusca stejnegeri (White-Winged Scoter) · M. nigra (Common Or American Scoter) · M. nigra americana (Black Scoter) · M. nigra nigra (Black Scoter) · M. perspicillata (Speckle-Billed Coot)

More Info

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Further Reading

• A Directory of Neotropical Wetlands. IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre url p. 676.
• A faunal investigation of Prince Edward County, Ontario / Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1941. url p. 40.
• A geographic classification of Neotropical mammals. 36 1958 [Chicago]Chicago Natural History Museum, 1958. url p. 634.
• A history of British birds, with coloured illustrations of their eggs. By Henry Seebohm. .. London, Pub. for the author by R.H. Porter [etc.]1883-85. url p. 607.
• A history of the birds of Europe: including all the species inhabiting the western palaearctic region / London: Published by the Author, 1871-1881. url p. 669.
• A monograph on the anatidae or duck tribe. London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longman, 1838. url p. 146.
• A synopsis on the anatidae or duck tribe. Wellington, Salop, R. Hobson, 1869. url p. 103.
• Abstract of the proceedings of the Linnaean Society of New York City, for the official year. . [New York]: The Society, [1889-1932] url p. 31.
• An ecological characterization of Coastal Maine (north and east of Cape Elizabeth) / Stewart I. Fefer and Patricia S. Schettig: principal investigators. Newton Corner, Mass.: Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Northeast Region, 1980. url .
• Beached marine birds and mammals of the North American West Coast: a manual for their census and identification / by David G. Ainley. .. [et al.] Pt. Reyes Bird Observatory; with drawings by Helen C. Strong; performed for National Coastal Ecosystems Team, Office of Biological Services, Fish and Wildlife Service [Washington, D.C.]: For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., [1980] url p. 131, p. 198.
• Birds in Kansas / Max C. Thompson & Charles Ely. 1 Lawrence, Kan.: University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History: c1989- url p. 112, p. x.
• Birds of Oregon, by Ira N. Gabrielson. .. and Stanley G. Jewett. .. Corvallis, Or., Pub. by Oregon State College through the O.S.C. Cooperative Association[c1940] url p. 169.
• Birds of the Chukchi Peninsula and Wrangel Island = (Ptitsy Chukotskogo poluostrova i ostrova Vrangelya) / L.A. Portenko; translated from Russian [by P.M. Rao]. New Delhi: Published for the Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C., by Amerind Pub. Co., 1981- url p. 334, p. 338.
• Birds of the Kansas City region / [St. Louis, Mo.: Academy of Sciences of St. Louis]1919. url .
• Birds of the Kansas City region [by] Harry Harris. [St. Louis, Mo.]1919 url p. 238, p. 238.
• Birds the world over, as shown in habitat groups in Chicago Natural History Museum [by] Austin L. Rand, curator, Division of Birds, and Emmet R. Blake, associate curator, Division of Birds. [Chicago]1954. url p. 25.
• Bulletin - United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.];1877-1971. url , p. 143, p. 178, p. 247, p. 267, p. 375, p. 44.
• Bulletin / Peabody Museum of Natural History. 1934 New Haven: Peabody Museum of Natural History, url p. 4.
• Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). London: BM(NH) url p. 212.
• Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. 109 1953 Cambridge, Mass.: The Museum, 1863- url p. 140.
• Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences. Los Angeles, Calif.: The Academy, 1902-1971. url p. 126, p. 163, p. 21, p. 5, p. 61.
• California fish and game. [San Francisco, etc.]: State of California, Resources Agency, Dept. of Fish and Game. url p. 175, p. 254, p. 28, p. 285, p. 292, p. 92.
• Catalogue of birds of the Americas and the adjacent islands in Field Museum of Natural History. Charles E. Hellmayr, Boardman Conover. 13 1948 Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History, 1948. url p. 393, p. 394, p. 395.
• Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum. London, 1874-98. url p. 413.
• Check-list of North American birds / prepared by a committee of the American ornithologists' union. Lancaster, Pa.: The Union, 1931. url p. 425, p. 58.
• Check-list of North American birds. [Ithaca, N.Y.]1957. url p. 93.
• Check-list of North American birds: the species of birds of North America from the Arctic through Panama, including the West Indies and Hawaiian Islands / prepared by the Committee on Classification and Nomenclature of the American Orni Lawrence, Kan.: American Ornithologists' Union, 1983. url p. 800, p. 91.
• Check-list of birds of the world. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1931-1987. url p. 182, p. 493.
• Comprehensive plan for the Illinois Nature Preserves System. Rockford, Ill.: Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, 1972-1973. url p. 32.
• Ecological investigations of the tundra biome in the Prudhoe Bay region, Alaska / edited by Jerry Brown. [Fairbanks: University of Alaska], 1975. url p. 126.
• Elkhorn Slough Estuarine Sanctuary: proposed estuarine sanctuary grant award for Elkhorn Slough, Monterey County, California / Washington: U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1979? url .
• Exposure of marine birds to environmental pollutants / by Harry M. Ohlendorf, Robert W. Risebrough, Kees Vermeer. Washington: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, 1978. url .
• FWS/0BS. [Washington]Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Dept. of the Interior. url , , p. 123, p. 52, p. 65, p. 78.
• Fauna of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska Peninsula, by Olaus J. Murie. Invertebrates and fishes collected in the Aleutians, 1936-38, by Victor B. Scheffer. Washington, Dept. of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1959 url , p. 101.
• Features of various offshore structures / by Joseph Peraino. .. [et al.]. Fort Belvoir, Va.: Coastal Engineering Research Center, 1975. url p. 18.
• Fishery bulletin. United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Washington, The Service, U.S. Govt Print. Off. url p. 524.
• Fishery circular / U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Fisheries. [Washington]: The Bureau, 1931-1939. url p. 51.
• Great Basin naturalist memoirs. 1976 [Provo, Utah]Brigham Young University, 1976-1992. url fig. 17, page 58.
• Illinois River Bluffs area assessment / Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Office of Scientific Research and Analysis, [and the] State Geological Survey Division. Springfield, Ill.: Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources, 1998- url p. 71.
• Life histories of North American wild fowl: order Anseres (part) / by Arthur Cleveland Bent. Washington: G.P.O., 1923. url , , p. 143.
• Memoirs of the San Diego Society of Natural History. 13 1984 San Diego, Calif.: The Society, 1931-1989. url p. 248, p. 61.
• Miscellaneous publication - University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History. 1965 Lawrence: University of Kansas, 1946-1996. url p. 14, p. 15, p. 21, p. 27, p. 44, p. 49, p. 85.
• North American fauna. Washington: Fish and Wildlife Service; for sale by the Supt. of Docs., U. S. Govt. Print. Off. url , , p. 49, p. 99, p. 99.
• Occasional papers - San Diego Society of Natural History. 1959 San Diego, The Society. url p. 10.
• Occasional papers of the Museum of Natural History, the University of Kansas. 1989 Lawrence, Kan.: The University, 1971-1994. url p. 27.
• Our living resources: a report to the nation on the distribution, abundance, and health of U.S. plants, animals, and ecosystems / [edited by], Edward T. LaRoe. .. [et al.]. Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Biological Service, 1995. url p. 524.
• P.D. Skaar's Montana bird distribution / revised by the Montana Bird Distribution Committee. [Helena, MT]:Montana Natural Heritage Program, 1996 url p. 26.
• Point Lobos Reseerve; State Park, California. Interpretation of a primitive landscape. Sacramento, [State Print. Off., 1954] url p. 95.
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• Proceedings of the United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.] url p. 562.
• Publications in zoology = Publications en zoologie. Ottawa: National Museums of Canada, National Museum of Natural Sciences, 1970-1982. url p. 32, p. 48.
• Sea-birds: an introduction to the natural history of the sea-birds of the North Atlantic / by James Fisher and R. M. Lockley. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin, 1954. url p. 295.
• Smithsonian miscellaneous collections. 135 1959 Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1862-1968. url p. 21, p. 27, p. 33, p. 97.
• Social feeding behavior of birds. 36 1954 [Chicago]Chicago Natural History Museum, 1954. url p. 42.
• Special scientific report--wildlife / U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. Washington, D.C.: The Service, 1949- url p. 143, p. 405, p. 454, p. 641, p. 644, p. 7.
• Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary final environmental impact statement/management plan / Sanctuaries and Reserves Division. Washington, D.C.: The Division, [1993] url p. 31.
• Syllogeus. Ottawa, National Museum of Natural Sciences, 1972-1995. url p. 10, p. 20.
• The Aleutian islands: their people and natural history (with keys for the identification of the birds and plants) City of Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1945. url p. 78.
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• The Canadian field-naturalist. 68 1954 Ottawa, Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club. url banfield , , , , p. 10, p. 101, p. 101, p. 102, p. 105, p. 106, p. 111, p. 113, p. 114, p. 115, p. 116, p. 117, p. 12, p. 121, p. 129, p. 13, p. 132, p. 132, p. 133, p. 138, p. 139, p. 143, p. 149, p. 150, p. 169, p. 175, p. 182, p. 182, p. 184, p. 188, p. 196, p. 201, p. 206, p. 218, p. 219, p. 235, p. 235, p. 238, p. 24, p. 26, p. 26, p. 260, p. 264, p. 265, p. 27, p. 271, p. 281, p. 289, p. 3, p. 339, p. 350, p. 364, p. 366, p. 375, p. 378, p. 378, p. 4, p. 418, p. 434, p. 437, p. 440, p. 444, p. 445, p. 45, p. 455, p. 466, p. 488, p. 50, p. 52, p. 52, p. 535, p. 539, p. 540, p. 541, p. 55, p. 59, p. 628, p. 631, p. 632, p. 636, p. 640, p. 641, p. 653, p. 657, p. 658, p. 659, p. 660, p. 662, p. 664, p. 670, p. 677, p. 729, p. 731, p. 740, p. 76, p. 79, p. 80, p. 87, p. 9, p. 98.
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Notes

Contributors

• BirdLife International 2004. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 18, 2008.
• BirdLife International 2004. Melanitta perspicillata. In: IUCN 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org . Downloaded on 21 October 2006.
• BirdLife International 2009. Melanitta perspicillata. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloadedon 02February2012.
• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 and ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2012.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 05, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 16 providers.
• Hines, J. E., Gregory Gough, J. R. Sauer, et al. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
• IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. . Downloaded on January 28, 2012.
• Parker III, T.A., D.F. Stotz, and J.W. Fitzpatrick, and quot;Ecological and Distributional Databases for Neotropical Birds, and quot; in Neotropical Birds: Ecology and Conservation, by D.F. Stotz, T.A. Parker III, J.W. Fitzpatrick, and D.K. Moskovits (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996). ISBN 0-226-64676-9.
• Peterson, Alan P. Zoological Nomenclature Resource. Accessed June 19, 2009.
• Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.
• Sauer, J. R., J. E. Hines, and J. Fallon. 2005. The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966 - 2004. Version 2005.2. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD
• Sauer, J. R., S. Schwartz, and B. Hoover. 1996. The Christmas Bird Count Home Page. Version 95.1. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 05, 2008:

• Avian Knowledge Network: eBird
• Avian Knowledge Network: Great Backyard Bird Count
• Avian Knowledge Network: Project FeederWatch
• Bird Studies Canada: BC Coastal Waterbird Survey
• Bird Studies Canada: Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas 1981-1985
• Bird Studies Canada: Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas 2001-2005
• Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: North West Territories and Nunavut Bird Checklist, Canada
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Provincial Museum of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. Birds (Aves)
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility: Royal British Columbia Museum
• Canadian Museum of Nature: Canadian Museum of Nature Bird Collection
• Finnish Museum of Natural History: Hatikka Observation Data Gateway
• GBIF-Sweden: Birds (GBIF-SE:Artdatabanken)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre (OBIS Canada)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Bay of Fundy Species List (OBIS Canada)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: SEAMAP - marine mammals, birds and turtles
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Taxonomic Information Sytem for the Belgian coastal area
• Marine Science Institute, UCSB: Paleobiology Database
• Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University: MCZ Ornithology Collection
• Museum of Vertebrate Zoology: Terrestrial vertebrate specimens
• New Brunswick Museum: NBM birds
• OZCAM (Online Zoological Collections of Australian Museums) Provider: Online Zoological Collections of Australian Museums
• Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History: Santa Barbara Musem of Natural History
• UCLA-Dickey Bird Collection (UCLA-Dickey): Bird specimens
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology (UMMZ): Bird specimens

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 11756
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-175170
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 2494622
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 175170
• IUCN ID: 222363
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: ABNJB17020
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 6865

Footnotes

1. Mean = 180.120 meters (590.945 feet), Standard Deviation = 547.840 based on 3,157 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
2. BirdLife International 2009. Melanitta perspicillata. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 February 2012. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.