Birds › Ducks, Geese, and Swans
Common Scoter
Melanitta nigra
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
Black ScoterMelanitta americana
Common EiderSomateria mollissima
MallardAnas platyrhynchos
Velvet ScoterMelanitta fusca
Eurasian CootFulica atra
Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
Red-crested PochardNetta rufina
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
Study checks a spoken answer against these, and tells you which one you named.
Where it is recorded
| United States | 865,536 |
|---|---|
| Alaska | 844,623 |
| Virginia | 10,540 |
| New York | 3,180 |
| South Carolina | 1,194 |
| Canada | 1,060 |
| New Jersey | 993 |
| Washington | 960 |
| Maryland | 953 |
| Massachusetts | 724 |
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
- Brood-parasite hostListed by a harvested source as a host of brood parasites.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
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 Common Scoter with real photos from different observers. Say the name out loud, and it comes back just before you would forget it.