Birds › Ducks, Geese, and Swans
Velvet Scoter
Melanitta fusca
25 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
Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
Common ScoterMelanitta nigra
Stejneger's ScoterMelanitta stejnegeri
Common EiderSomateria mollissima
White-winged ScoterMelanitta deglandi
MallardAnas platyrhynchos
Common PochardAythya ferina
Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
Study checks a spoken answer against these, and tells you which one you named.
Where it is recorded
| United States | 574,492 |
|---|---|
| Alaska | 557,365 |
| Washington | 7,285 |
| New York | 5,769 |
| Canada | 4,231 |
| British Columbia | 2,940 |
| Massachusetts | 1,824 |
| Russia | 692 |
| Ontario | 478 |
| California | 467 |
Counts show where people looked, not only where it lives.
Traits
Behavioral
- MigratoryTravels long distances seasonallyFrom its classification
Group and habits
- 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
- Scrape nestingListed by a harvested source as nesting in scrapes.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 Ontario
- Birds of Pennsylvania (Alkas)
- Birds of United States
- Birds of Utah
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 Velvet Scoter with real photos from different observers. Say the name out loud, and it comes back just before you would forget it.