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Common Scoter Melanitta nigra [Linnaeus, 1758]
Other Names
Trends & Distribution
Breeding & Survival
Biometrics
Books & Links
Order:
Anseriformes
Family:
Anatidae
BTO Codes:
CX , COMSC
EURING No:
2130
Number in Britain:
50 thousand birds (Winter)
Conservation Status:
UK:
RED
European:
Not a species of concern
Global:
Least Concern
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IBC
Status in UK:
(A) Migrant Breeder, Passage/Winter Visitor
Subspecies:
Monotypic
.
Length:
49 cm
Wingspan:
84 cm
Weight:
M/F: 1 kg
Scientific name from:
Gr.: melas =black + netta =a duck
and L.: niger =shining black
World Distribution:
BREEDS: n Eurasia WINTERS: south to Mediterranean & Black Seas
Habitat:
Tundra lakes, on migration rivers, lakes & coasts
Diet:
Mostly molluscs, also insects, fish eggs in freshwater habitats
TitBit:
Usually seen in large rafts of hundreds, or thousands, of birds well offshore at sea, Scoter will dive up to 30m to hunt for their shellfish prey
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
No population trend available
Distribution:
New Atlas )
British Population Size:
Winter:
50 thousand individuals
in 1990-99
Summer:
95 pairs
in 1995
First Record:
1537
[Fossil evidence from
Middle Pleistocene, c. 500,000 yr ago]
First Breeding Record:
Sutherland 1855
Latest Survey:
Underhill, M.C. et al. (1988) Bird Study 45:146-156
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
Summer:
3900 to 12 thousand pairs
Birds in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
WCA(I), WBD(II*,III*), Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA
Survey Results:
Breeding and Survival
Egg Size:
66 x 45 mm
Egg Weight:
72.0 g (of which 8 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records:
0
Clutch Size:
6 - 8 eggs
Incubation:
30 - 31 days
by the:
Female
Fledging:
45 - 50 days
as:
Precocial, downy
First Clutches Laid:
Unavailable
Number of Broods:
1
Number Ringed:
1
Adult Survival:
No data
Juvenile Survival:
No data
Age at First Breeding:
Typical Lifespan:
No data
Maximum Recorded Age:
7yr1m
(Iceland: 16yr 9m)
Biometrics
Ring Size:
G
Wing Length
Adult:
Insufficient Data.
Juvenile:
Insufficient Data.
Male:
Insufficient Data
Female:
Insufficient Data
Weight
Adult:
Insufficient Data.
Juvenile:
Insufficient Data.
Male:
Insufficient Data
Female:
Insufficient Data
Other Names
Black Scoter
Includes M. americana
Gaelic:
Lach-bheag-dhubh
Welsh:
Môr-hwyaden Ddu
Danish:
Sortand
Dutch:
Zwarte zeeëend
Finnish:
Mustalintu
French:
Macreuse noire
German:
Trauerente
Hungarian:
Fekete réce
Icelandic:
Hrafnsönd
Irish:
Scótar
Italian:
Orchetto marino
Norwegian:
Svartand
Polish:
Markaczka
Portuguese:
Pato-negro
Spanish:
Negrón común
Swedish:
Sjöorre
Collective Noun: Raft
For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
Kear, J 2005 Ducks, geese and swans Oxford University Press
[598.48 KEA]
Collinson, M. et al. 2006 Species limits within the genus Melanitta, the scoters British Birds 99:183-201
See Also:
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
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