Surf Scoter

Melanitta perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758)

48 cmLength1.1 kgWeight

The surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) is a large sea duck native to North America.

Busiest months: November · Most records: United States, Canada, Mexico

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Surf Scoter has been recorded at 514 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 17 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Pt. Pinos – seawatch onlyUnited States13,338 records
Southeast Farallon IslandUnited States8,477 records
Pillar Point HarborUnited States6,434 records

More places

Edmonds WaterfrontUnited States6,329 records
Ocean City InletUnited States5,822 records
Cape Island – CMP – Coral Ave. dune crossingUnited States5,590 records
Rodeo LagoonUnited States5,523 records
Bolsa Chica Ecological ReserveUnited States5,431 records
Discovery ParkUnited States5,070 records
Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal JettyCanada4,847 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United States Canada Mexico United Kingdom Bermuda Spain St. Pierre & Miquelon France

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 surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) is a large sea duck native to North America. Adult males are almost entirely black with characteristic white patches on the forehead and the nape and adult females are slightly smaller and browner. Surf scoters breed in Northern Canada and Alaska and winter along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America.

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

Questions

How big is the Surf Scoter?

The Surf Scoter is about 48 cm long and weighs around 1.1 kg.

Where does the Surf Scoter live?

Its breeding range: North America: mainland Alaska through subarctic Canada east to Labrador. It is most often recorded in United States, Canada and Mexico.