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  Profile

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  In flight

Waterfowl

Black Scoter

Melanitta americana

• uncommon
• 40 km/h
• Near Threatened

The only all-black duck in North America. Drakes whistle a plaintive 'cour-loo' on the breeding grounds.

Population

~900,000 breeding individuals globally (Partners in Flight estimate, cited by Cornell Lab/All About Birds); note IUCN's own Red List assessment separately estimates 350,000-560,000 mature individuals — different source/methodology, both legitimate; overall population trend is decreasing (IUCN assessment: suspected 20-29% decline over ~16 years / three generations; Cornell: >50% loss over past 50 years but recent trend more stable, "Yellow Alert Tipping Point" species)

Habitat

Breeds on shallow, rocky-bottomed freshwater lakes and rivers in northern boreal forest/woodland and tundra; winters in nearshore marine and estuarine waters, especially sheltered, shallow coastal embayments with rocky or sandy bottoms rich in shellfish (mussels)

Fun fact

Male Black Scoters perform a distinctive courtship display that, unlike other scoters, almost always ends with a sharp downward thrust of the head.

Range

Breeds in far northern North America (Alaska, northern Canada including Labrador/Newfoundland/Hudson Bay) and northeastern Siberia east of the Yana River; winters along the Atlantic coast from Newfoundland/northern US to the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific coast from Alaska/Canada to San Francisco Bay, and coastal East Asia (Japan, Korea, China)

Diet

Winters mainly on mollusks (mussels, clams) and crustaceans taken by diving, with some marine vegetation (eelgrass); breeding-season diet shifts to aquatic insects and larvae (caddisflies, mayflies, beetles), small mollusks/crustaceans, fish eggs, and some aquatic vegetation (pondweed, duckweed)

Size

0.46 m

Wingspan

0.71 m

Lifespan

10.5 years