Common Scoter

Melanitta nigra (Linnaeus, 1758)

1.1 kgWeight

The common scoter (Melanitta nigra) is a large sea duck, 43–54 cm (17–21 in) in length, which breeds over the far north of Europe and the Palearctic east to the Olenyok River.

Busiest months: October · Most records: United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: October · Most records: United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal

Common Scoter has been recorded at 463 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 43 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Titchwell Marsh RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom2,916 records
North ForelandUnited Kingdom2,169 records
Whitburn Coastal ParkUnited Kingdom1,649 records

More places

Estaca de Bares – Observatorio de aves y entornoSpain1,583 records
PN Sintra-Cascais – Cabo RasoPortugal1,486 records
Spurn Bird Observatory Recording AreaUnited Kingdom1,483 records
Húsavík – hafnarsvæðiIceland1,124 records
Lista FyrNorway915 records
Barrinha de EsmorizPortugal884 records
Portland BillUnited Kingdom842 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United Kingdom Spain Portugal Sweden Norway Denmark Iceland Poland

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The common scoter (Melanitta nigra) is a large sea duck, 43–54 cm (17–21 in) in length, which breeds over the far north of Europe and the Palearctic east to the Olenyok River. The black scoter (M. americana) of North America and eastern Siberia was formerly considered to be a subspecies.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Common Scoter?

The Common Scoter weighs around 1.1 kg.

Where does the Common Scoter live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: southeastern Greenland, Iceland, Scotland, and northern, western Scandinavia to Olenyok River (north-central Siberia). It is most often recorded in United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal.