Birds › Ducks, Geese, and Swans
Surf Scoter
Melanitta perspicillata
28 photos
Study shows up to four per card, from different observers, so you learn the species rather than one picture. Heart the good ones and swap any you do not like.
Photos you add are credited to you, and you keep the copyright.
Easily confused with
White-winged ScoterMelanitta deglandi
Black ScoterMelanitta americana
Harlequin DuckHistrionicus histrionicus
Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
Common EiderSomateria mollissima
MallardAnas platyrhynchos
BuffleheadBucephala albeola
American CootFulica americana
Study checks a spoken answer against these, and tells you which one you named.
Where it is recorded
| New York | 73,402 |
|---|---|
| Ontario | 60,119 |
| Maryland | 51,461 |
| Virginia | 49,320 |
| Connecticut | 28,689 |
| United States | 23,805 |
| New Hampshire | 23,234 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 22,215 |
| Michigan | 22,115 |
| California | 12,270 |
Counts show where people looked, not only where it lives.
Traits
Behavioral
- MigratoryTravels long distances seasonallyFrom its classification
Group and habits
- Cup nestingListed by a harvested source as building cup nests.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Invertebrate eaterListed by a harvested source as primarily eating invertebrates.BIRDBASE avian traits database
- Ground nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting on the ground.BIRDBASE avian traits database
Classification
| Kingdom | Animals · Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordates · Chordata |
| Class | Birds · Aves |
| Order | Waterfowl · Anseriformes |
| Family | Ducks, Geese, and Swans · Anatidae |
| Genus | Scoters · Melanitta |
Study it in a deck
- Birds of British Columbia, Canada
- Birds of Centre Wellington, Ontario, Canada
- Birds of Ontario
- Birds of Pennsylvania (Alkas)
- Birds of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Birds of United States
- Birds of Utah
- Native Birds of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Or build your own from the species near you.
Sources
- Names, taxonomy and observation counts: www.inaturalist.org
- Photos and recordings: the creator and source are on each one.
- Traits: BIRDBASE avian traits database (CC BY 4.0)
- How much to rely on each source
Remember the name next time.
Practise Surf Scoter with real photos from different observers. Say the name out loud, and it comes back just before you would forget it.