Overview
The scoters are stocky in the genus Melanitta. The drakes are mostly black and have swollen bills. Females are brown.
They breed in the far north of Europe, Asia and North America, and winter further south in temperate zones of those continents. They form large flocks on suitable coastal waters. These are tightly packed, and the birds tend to take off together.
Their lined nests are built on the ground close to the sea, lakes or rivers, in woodland or tundra. These species dive for crustaceans and molluscs.
There are five species, grouped into two subgenera:
- subgenus Oidemia (Black and Common Scoters)
- subgenus Melanitta (Surf, Velvet and White-winged Scoters)
The presumed fossil "scoter" Melanitta ceruttii which lived in California during the Late Pliocene is now placed in the genus Histrionicus.
Photos
Taxonomy
The Genus Melanitta is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 14 species and subspecies in the Genus Melanitta: M. americana (Black Scoter) · M. deglandi dixoni · 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 ssp · M. fusca stejnegeri (White-Winged Scoter) · M. nigra (Common Or American Scoter) · M. nigra americana (Black Scoter) · M. nigra nigra (Common Or American Scoter) · M. perspicillata (Blossum-Billed Coot)
Sources
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