Melanitta americana (Black Scoter)

Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Dutch:

Amerikaanse Zee-Eend

Common Names in English:

Black Scoter

Description

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Family Anatidae

Birds that are modified for swimming, floating on the water surface, and in some cases diving in at least shallow water. They have webbed feet and flattened bills. Special oils in their feathers helps them shed water. This is one of the few families of birds that possess a penis .

Habitat

Typically found in the intertidal zone at the water's edge at a mean distance from sea level of 8 meters (25 feet).Standard Deviation = 26.490 based on 17 observations. Terrestrial altitude and ocean depth information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre.

Taxonomy

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Domain: Eukaryota () - Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- Kingdom: Animalia () - Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
  - Subkingdom: Bilateria () - (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983
    - Branch: Deuterostomia () - Grobben, 1908
      - Infrakingdom: Chordonia () - (Haeckel, 1874) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
        Phylum: Chordata () - Bateson, 1885 - Chordates
        Subphylum: Vertebrata () - Cuvier, 1812 - Vertebrates
        Infraphylum: Gnathostomata () - Auct. - Jawed Vertebrates
        Superclass: Tetrapoda () - Goodrich, 1930
        Class: Aves () - Linnaeus, 1758 - Birds
        Subclass: Neornithes () - Gadow, 1893
        Infraclass: Neoaves ()
        Superorder: Anserimorphae ()
        Order: Anseriformes () - Wagler, 1831 - Ducks, Geese
        Infraorder: Anserides ()
        Family: Anatidae () - Vigors, 1825 - Ducks and Allies
        Genus: Melanitta ()
        Specific name: americana - (Swainson, 1832)
        Scientific name: - Melanitta americana