White-winged/Velvet Scoter

[martinf]

When these 2 forms were split, where did stejnegeri end up?

[StuartReeves]

If memory serves, Velvet Scoter is now montypic, but there are two subspecies of White-winged Scoter, stejnegeri and, erm, the other one... Is it deglandii or something like that?

Stuart

[Jurij Hanžel]

Yes, it's deglandi.

This is the current situation in Scoter taxonomy under BOU:

Melanitta americana = Black Scoter
Melanitta nigra = Common Scoter
Melanitta fusca = Velvet Scoter
Melanitta deglandi (with subspecies deglandi and stejnegeri) = American and Asian White-winged/Stejneger's Scoter
Melanitta perspicillata = Surf Scoter

[Chris Benesh]

Hi All,

The Garner, Lewington, and Rosenberg identification paper in Birding World 17(8) proposed a three way split.


Here is the BOU take on it:

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1474-919X.2005.00483.x

GEORGE SANGSTER, J. MARTIN COLLINSON, ANDREAS J. HELBIG, ALAN G. KNOX, DAVID T. PARKIN (2005)
Taxonomic recommendations for British birds: third report
Ibis 147 (4), 821–826.

Excerpt:

Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca
Melanitta fusca is currently treated as a polytypic species with subspecies M. f. fusca (North Europe east to the River Yenisey), M. f. deglandi (Nearctic) and M. f. stejnegeri (Asia, east of the Yenisey). A morphological analysis of seaducks (Tribe Mergini) concluded that deglandi and fusca are sister taxa (Livezey 1995. Condor97: 233–255), but stejnegeri was not included in this analysis. Adult male fusca is diagnosably distinct from deglandi and stejnegeri on the basis of both bill shape and coloration, and on the shape of the nostrils (Dwight 1914. Auk31: 293–308; Proctor & Pullan 1997. Birding World10: 56–61). All age and sex classes of fusca are diagnosably distinct from deglandi and stejnegeri on the basis of the contours of feathering at the base of the bill (Garðarsson 1997. Bliki18: 65–67). Although the described sample sizes are small, male fusca and deglandi are reported to differ diagnostically in tracheal structure and (presumably as a consequence of this) courtship vocalizations (Miller 1926. Am. Mus. Nov.243: 1–5; Cramp & Simmons 1977. Handbook of the Birds of Europe the Middle East and North Africa, Vol. 1). On average, the white subocular mark of adult male fusca is smaller than that of deglandi and stejnegeri (Dement'ev & Gladkov 1952. Birds of the USSR, Moscow; Dwight 1914; Proctor & Pullan 1997). On the basis of diagnostic differences in bill structure and pigmentation, and the other morphological differences described above, it is recommended that two species should be recognized:
•
Velvet ScoterM. fusca (monotypic)
•
White-winged ScoterM. deglandi (polytypic, with subspecies deglandi and stejnegeri)
Velvet Scoter is on Category A of the British List. A further decision on possible specific status for M. d. stejnegeri has been pended awaiting analysis of vocalizations for these taxa. A manuscript on species limits in scoters has been submitted and will be published in due course.

end excerpt.

Chris

[martinf]

Thanks all and especially Chris for the detailed response

[Docmartin]

Thanks all and especially Chris for the detailed response

We subsequently published the detailed manuscript in British Birds last year - I have a pdf for anyone interested. (it's the same one as in the Black Scoter thread).