Melanitta americana
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Black Scoter
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Near threatenedIUCN
LowThreat Impact
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, https://www.usa.gov/government-works
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.866837
Element CodeABNJB17040
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNNear threatened
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderAnseriformes
FamilyAnatidae
GenusMelanitta
Synonyms
Melanitta nigra(Linnaeus, 1758)
Other Common Names
American Scoter (EN) Macreuse à bec jaune (FR)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). Chesser, R.T., R.C. Banks, F.K. Barker, C. Cicero, J.L. Dunn, A.W. Kratter, I.J. Lovette, P.C. Rasmussen, J.V. Remsen, Jr., J.D. Rising, D.F. Stotz, and K. Winker. 2010. Fifty-first supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds. The Auk 127(3):726-744.
Taxonomic Comments
Formerly treated as conspecific with M. nigra (Linnaeus, 1758) [Black Scoter] of Eurasia, but separated on the basis of courtship calls (Sangster 2009) and color, form, and feathering of the bill in adult males and most adult females (Collinson et al. 2006) (AOU 2010).
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-09
Change Date1996-11-21
Edition Date1997-10-01
Edition AuthorsMehlman, D.W.
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank Reasons
Large global population with very large and widely dispersed continental subpopulations, fairly low degree of threat, particularly on breeding grounds.
Range Extent Comments
BREEDING: North America in western and southern Alaska, Aleutians, scattered areas in central and eastern Canada, including southern Keewatin, northern Quebec, and Newfoundland. Also found (and may breed) from southern Yukon and Mackenzie east to Labrador and Newfoundland. Eurasia from Iceland, British Isles, Spitsbergen, and Scandinavia east across Russia and Siberia to Anadyrland, Sakhalin, and Kamchatka. NON-BREEDING: North America on Pacific coast from Pribilofs and Aleutians to southern California, Great Lakes, Atlantic coast from Newfoundland to South Carolina, Florida. Eurasia from breeding grounds south to Mediterranean Sea, Korea, eastern China, and Japan. Accidental in Hawaii (Midway) and in North America to Gulf Coast (AOU 1983). In the U.S. and southern Canada, areas of winter abundance include coastal areas of southern New Jersey, South Carolina, British Columbia, and Washington (Root 1988). In the early 1990s, USFWS Winter Sea Duck Survey in eastern North America found the highest densities of scoters (all species) in Virginia, New York, Maine, and Massachusetts (descending order of abundance, Kehoe 1994).
Threat Impact Comments
Hydroelectric projects in Quebec and Labrador have had localized impacts on breeding habitat, but effects on the continental population probably have been small; urbanization and industrialization of many coastal bays and estuaries have degraded some winter habitat; chemical contamination and heavy metal accumulation of winter food supplies possibly may be affecting reproductive success of some populations (Kehoe 1994). Vulnerable to overharvest through hunting (Kehoe 1994).
Ecology & Habitat
Habitat
Mostly coastal waters, less commonly on large inland lakes and rivers when not breeding. Nests near lakes and pools on grassy or bushy tundra and in northern taiga (AOU 1983). Usually nests close to water. The nest is a depression lined with plant material, down and feathers.
Reproduction
In northern Quebec, egg laying began in the first week of June; hatching occurred in the second and third weeks of July (Savard and Lamothe, 1991, Can. Field-Nat. 105:488-496). Clutch size is 5-8 (often 8). Incubation lasts 27-28 days (Terres 1980). Young are tended by female, independent in 6-7 weeks (Harrison 1978).
Terrestrial Habitats
Tundra
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN5B,N5N
| Province | Rank | Native |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | S4N | Yes |
| Washington | S3N | Yes |
| Maine | S3N | Yes |
| Virginia | SNRN | Yes |
| Alabama | S3N | Yes |
| North Dakota | SNA | Yes |
| Florida | SNRN | Yes |
| Michigan | SNRN | Yes |
| Illinois | SNA | Yes |
| Alaska | S3B,S3N | Yes |
| Colorado | SNA | Yes |
| South Carolina | S4N | Yes |
| Connecticut | SNA | Yes |
| New York | SNRN | Yes |
| Indiana | S1N | Yes |
| Nebraska | SNRN | Yes |
| Maryland | S3N | Yes |
| Tennessee | S3N | Yes |
| Ohio | SNA | Yes |
| Missouri | SNA | Yes |
| California | SNRN | Yes |
| Georgia | S5 | Yes |
| West Virginia | SNA | Yes |
| Kansas | SNA | Yes |
| Oregon | SNA | Yes |
| Louisiana | S2N | Yes |
| Iowa | S1N | Yes |
| Kentucky | SNA | Yes |
| South Dakota | SNA | Yes |
| New Jersey | SNRN | Yes |
| Vermont | SNA | Yes |
| Wisconsin | SNA | Yes |
| New Hampshire | SNA | Yes |
| Rhode Island | SNA | Yes |
| Massachusetts | S5N | Yes |
| Texas | S3N | Yes |
| Minnesota | SNRM | Yes |
| Pennsylvania | S4M | Yes |
| Delaware | S4N | Yes |
CanadaN5B,N4N
| Province | Rank | Native |
|---|---|---|
| Northwest Territories | S3 | Yes |
| Island of Newfoundland | S2B,S2N,SUM | Yes |
| New Brunswick | S1N,S3M | Yes |
| Quebec | S4B | Yes |
| Labrador | S3B,SUN,SUM | Yes |
| Saskatchewan | S2M | Yes |
| Nova Scotia | S4N,SUM | Yes |
| Prince Edward Island | S4N | Yes |
| Ontario | S4 | Yes |
| British Columbia | S3N | Yes |
| Manitoba | S2B,S4M | Yes |
| Nunavut | SUB | Yes |
Threat Assessments
| Threat | Scope | Severity | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 - Climate change & severe weather | Pervasive (71-100%) | Unknown | Low (long-term) |
| 11.1 - Habitat shifting & alteration | Pervasive (71-100%) | Unknown | Low (long-term) |
Roadless Areas (24)
Alaska (19)
| Area | Forest | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Chugach-12 | Chugach National Forest | 8,116 |
| Chugach-14 | Chugach National Forest | 184 |
| Chugach-15 | Chugach National Forest | 56 |
| Chugach-8 | Chugach National Forest | 21,559 |
| College Fiord | Chugach National Forest | 1,130,818 |
| Copper River Wetlands | Chugach National Forest | 85,972 |
| Fidalgo-Gravina | Chugach National Forest | 257,968 |
| Kenai Mountains | Chugach National Forest | 306,600 |
| Montague | Chugach National Forest | 204,875 |
| Nellie Juan | Chugach National Forest | 713,697 |
| Prince William Sound Is. | Chugach National Forest | 118,698 |
| Resurrection | Chugach National Forest | 224,615 |
| Rhine | Tongass National Forest | 23,010 |
| Sheridan Glacier | Chugach National Forest | 224,683 |
| South Kruzof | Tongass National Forest | 55,193 |
| Taku-Snettisham | Tongass National Forest | 664,928 |
| Twenty Mile | Chugach National Forest | 198,775 |
| Windham-Port Houghton | Tongass National Forest | 161,952 |
| Yakutat Forelands | Tongass National Forest | 323,648 |
Oregon (4)
| Area | Forest | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Tenmile | Siuslaw National Forest | 10,818 |
| Umpqua Spit | Siuslaw National Forest | 2,090 |
| Umpqua Spit | Siuslaw National Forest | 2,090 |
| Woahink | Siuslaw National Forest | 5,309 |
Utah (1)
| Area | Forest | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Cottonwood | Dixie National Forest | 6,754 |
References (17)
- American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
- American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in <i>The Auk</i>]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
- American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). Chesser, R.T., R.C. Banks, F.K. Barker, C. Cicero, J.L. Dunn, A.W. Kratter, I.J. Lovette, P.C. Rasmussen, J.V. Remsen, Jr., J.D. Rising, D.F. Stotz, and K. Winker. 2010. Fifty-first supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds. The Auk 127(3):726-744.
- Bellrose, F.C. 1976. Ducks, geese and swans of North America. Stackpole Books, Harrisburg, PA.
- BirdLife International. 2004b. Threatened birds of the world 2004. CD ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
- Goudie, R. I., S. Brault, B. Conant, A. V. Kondratyev, M. R. Petersen, and K. Vermeer. 1994. The status of sea ducks in the North Pacific rim: toward their conservation and management. Pp. 27-49 IN: Martell, A. M., and A. W. Palmisano, (editors), Transactions of the 59th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference.
- Harrison, C. 1978. A Field Guide to the Nests, Eggs and Nestlings of North American Birds. Collins, Cleveland, Ohio.
- Johnson, S. R. and D. R. Herter. 1989. The Birds of the Beaufort Sea. BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc., Anchorage, Alaska. 372 pp.
- Kehoe, F.P. 1996. Trends in sea duck numbers in eastern North America. Bird Trends 5:13-15.
- Kehoe, P., compiler and editor. 1994. Status and information needs of sea ducks in the Atlantic Flyway. Prepared by the Ad Hoc Sea Duck Committee. 71+ pp.
- Madge, S., and H. Burn. 1988. Waterfowl: An Identification Guide to the Ducks, Geese and Swans of the World. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Massachusetts. 298 pp.
- Parker III, T. A., D. F. Stotz, and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1996. Ecological and distributional databases for neotropical birds. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
- Poole, A. F. and F. B. Gill. 1992. The birds of North America. The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. and The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA.
- Pratt, H. D., P. L. Bruner, and D. G. Berrett. 1987. A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey. 409 pp. + 45 plates.
- Root, T. 1988. Atlas of wintering North American birds: An analysis of Christmas Bird Count data. University of Chicago Press. 336 pp.
- Sibley, D. A. 2000a. The Sibley guide to birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
- Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.