Photo by digitalbirder
Location: White Rock, British Columbia, Canada
- Melanitta fusca
Includes Velvet Scoter
Identification
51-58cm. Black, white 'tear drop' just behind the eye, yellow long bill, thick neck and pointed tail. In flight, it shows a white patch on the rear of the wing.
Notes on distinguishing males of the subspecies
- deglandi: clear knob at the base of the bill, with the yellow-orange part relatively short, so that the eye looks set further back on head than fusca. The white around the eye is shaped as a checkmark, pointed up at the rear end. The colored part of the bill is orange with the top parts looking yellow. The crown is highest in front of the eye. When seen well, flanks will be brown in contrast to black back and breast.
- stejnegeri: Head shape closer to eider in shape, with a long, sloping forehead. White around eye similar to or longer than deglandi. It has a clear knob on the bill, further forward than deglandi, and the colored parts are mostly red with yellow "lipstick" below. Flanks are black.
- fusca: the least knob on the bill, and the least white around and behind the eye; almost no white above the eye. The colored section of the bill is yellow and relatively long and the distance from the base of that to the eye is short, producing the impression that the eye is positioned relatively far forward on the head. The crown looks highest above the eye.
Distribution
Breeds in northern areas around the globe, such as Scandinavia (especially Sweden and Norway), northern Asia, and northern North America.
Migrates in winter to areas that have coastal open water, for example in Europe will be found from Norway to Spain and east to the Caspian Sea.
Taxonomy
Three subspecies are currently recognized:
- deglandi (White-winged Scoter) occurs in North America and includes dixoni which is no longer recognized.
- stejnegeri is found in Estern Asia. This form is also sometimes proposed for recognition as a full species, Asian White-winged or Stejneger's Scoter.
- fusca is found in Europe and western Asia, .
The subspecies deglandi has in the past and is increasingly again recognized as a full species (for example by the British BOURC), which would keep the name of White-winged Scoter; subspecies fusca would then become Velvet Scoter. Subspecies stejnegeri would be a subspecies of M. deglandi if BOURC is followed, but has also sometimes been considered a full species. Opus follows the developments in the worldwide checklists.
Habitat
Lakes, coastal waters, estuaries.
Behaviour
The diet includes shellfish, crabs, sea urchins, fish, insect larvae and plants.
It builds a lined nest on the ground close to the sea, lakes or rivers, in woodland or tundra. 7-9 eggs are laid.
Bird Song
<flashmp3>Melanitta fusca (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
References
- Clements, James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019
- DUDLEY et al. 2006. The British List: A Checklist of Birds of Britain (7th edition). Ibis 148:526–563 with online updates to 2009
- R Strack 2010. Fløjlsænder. Fugle i Felten, #1, January 2010, pg 6-7. (in Danish)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) White-winged Scoter. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 24 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/White-winged_Scoter
