Black Scoter Photo Gallery
Adult male
Medium-sized sea duck with a fairly small, straight bill. All black except for yellow knob at base of bill.
© Doug Hitchcox / Macaulay LibraryMaine, December 21, 2016Female
Medium-sized sea duck with a fairly small, straight bill. Brownish overall with pale face and neatly delineated dark cap.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryNew Jersey, May 27, 2017Adult males and female
Often found in small flocks, sometimes with other scoter species. Call is a soft whistling. Female lacks yellow knob on bill and has pale cheek with neat dark cap.
© Tom Johnson / Macaulay LibraryNew JerseyNot all videos have soundAdult male and female
Medium-sized sea duck with a straight, thin bill. In flight, wings are all dark. Breeding males have yellow knob on bill; females have pale cheeks with neat, dark cap.
© Samuel Paul Galick / Macaulay LibraryNew Jersey, February 02, 2014Immature male
Brownish sea duck with dark-capped head pattern reminiscent of female but yellowish knob at base of bill like adult male.
© Samuel Paul Galick / Macaulay LibraryNew Jersey, February 02, 2014Female
Medium-sized brownish sea duck with a small, straight bill. Distinctive face pattern: pale cheeks and sharply defined dark cap.
© Teri Zambon True / Macaulay LibraryFlorida, July 12, 2016Adult male and female (with Surf Scoter)
May occur in flocks with other scoter species. Bill considerably smaller and straighter than Surf Scoter's (second from left).
© Ken Wright / Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, March 23, 2017Habitat
Found mainly in saltwater along rocky coastlines.
© Jason Dain / Macaulay LibraryNova Scotia, January 17, 2021Compare with Similar Species
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Species in This Family
Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl(Order: Anseriformes, Family: Anatidae)
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