Black Scoter

The Black Scoter is the plainest-looking of the three scoter species, with males entirely glossy black except for a bright yellow-orange knob at the base of the bill. Females are dark brownish overall with a contrasting pale cheek and throat that sets off a dark cap, distinguishing them from the more patchily marked female Surf and White-winged Scoters.

Black Scoters breed on subarctic tundra and boreal lakes, then winter in large flocks along rocky and sandy coastlines, where their all-dark silhouette and buoyant, low profile on the water are distinctive.

Key field marks

• Male: entirely glossy black body with a bright orange-yellow knob at the base of an otherwise black bill
• Female: dark brown body with a pale cheek and throat contrasting against a blackish cap, lacking the white patches of other female scoters
• Rounded head shape and stocky build typical of scoters

Similar species

Unlike the Surf Scoter (white forehead/nape patches) and White-winged Scoter (white wing speculum), the male Black Scoter shows no white anywhere on the body, only the bill knob. Female Black Scoters are best told from other female scoters by their evenly pale face/throat contrasting with a dark cap, rather than distinct spots.

Black Scoters breed on tundra ponds and lakes in the subarctic and low Arctic of North America and eastern Siberia, generally farther north and more sparsely distributed than the other scoters. In winter, they gather along both Atlantic and Pacific coastlines in dense flocks, favoring nearshore waters over sand and gravel bottoms.

Behavior

Forages by diving in coastal and lake waters, often in tightly packed flocks; flight involves rapid wingbeats low over the water, frequently in long lines.

Voice

One of the more vocal sea ducks, males give a distinctive, musical, whistled 'cour-loo' call, often heard from wintering flocks.

Feeding

Mollusks, especially mussels and clams, along with crustaceans, obtained by diving to the bottom.

Nesting

Nests on the ground near tundra ponds and lakes, concealed in low vegetation; clutches typically hold 5-9 eggs.