Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata)

Description: Surf scoters are in the duck family and have a dark body with a thick orange bill. Adult females and non-breeding males are a dark brown and breeding males are black with a white spot on their heads.   

Habitat: Surf scoters spend their winter on the Pacific coast, ranging from from Alaska to Baja California and return to their nesting grounds farther inland in Northern Canada and Alaska in the spring. Here at Haystack it is common to see flocks of surf scoters floating and foraging on the ocean in the winter and early spring.

Nesting: Within Northern Canada and Alaska, surf scoters make their nest in wetlands and around lakes. Females typically lay between 6 and 9 eggs and incubate them for 28 to 30 days. Chicks leave the nest soon after hatching, and begin foraging for food independently immediately.

Diet: Like many marine ducks, surf scoters diet is made up of various invertebrates such as mollusks and crustaceans, as well as small fish.

Tide Pool Tidbits:

• Surf scoters have the nickname “skunkhead” due to the white patch on breeding males head.

• Although surf scoter are currently listed as a species of low concern, they will likely be heavily impacted by climate change in coming years.

• As global temperatures increase, surf scoters will be forced to move farther North and consequently lose nesting ground territory. The Audubon Society estimates that with a 1.5 degree celsius increase, they will lose 28% of their typical nesting range. With a 3 degree celsius, they could lose up to 62%.

Reference: The Cornell Lab, Audubon