Common Scoter

Melanitta nigra (Linnaeus, 1758)

Common Scoter Melanitta nigra is a sea duck that breeds in the Palearctic, from se Greenland, Iceland, Scotland and northern and western Scandinavia to the Olenyok River in north-central Siberia. Outside the breeding season it moves to the Baltic and North Sea coasts and along the Atlantic shore as far as north-west Africa. It is a bulky bird with a large bill, and the male is entirely black with yellow around the nostrils. The female is brown with pale cheeks. It is one of six species in Melanitta.

Order

Anseriformes

Family

Anatidae — Ducks, Geese, Swans

Breeding range

Palearctic: se Greenland, Iceland, Scotland, and n, w Scandinavia to Olenyok River (nc Siberia)

Nonbreeding range

to Baltic and North sea coasts, and Atlantic coast to nw Africa