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Surf Scoter - BirdForum Opus

Revision as of 22:45, 5 July 2014 by Deliatodd-18346 (talk | contribs) (→‎Taxonomy: Update link)
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Photo by mikyip
Deep Bay, British Columbia, Canada, November 2004
Melanitta perspicillata

Identification

44-48cm
Male

  • Black plumage
  • White patches on the nape and forehead
  • Bulbous red, yellow and white bill

Females

  • Brown with pale head patches
Female
Photo by bobsofpa
Barnegat Lighthouse State Park, New Jersey, USA, January 2010

Distribution

Northern North America; winters to Baja California, southern US and the British Isles.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species[1].

Habitat

Freshwater lakes, rivers, woodland and tundra.

Behaviour

Breeding

The clutch of 5-9 eggs is laid in a ground nest. Incubation takes around 28-30 days; fledging a further 55 days.

Diet

Photo by eastwood
Iona, Canada, 2006

The diet includes crustaceans and molluscs, the young eat freshwater invertebrates.

References

  1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
  2. Avibase
  3. Wikipedia

Recommended Citation

External Links


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