Is a scoter a coot?

What is the difference between a scoter and a butterbill?

The most important and well-known difference is in the shape and colour of the pattern on the bill. Black Scoters are also known colloquially by the descriptive names of ‘butterbill’ and ‘coppernose’, due to the yellow and orange ‘globe’ that seems to be stuck on the base of a flat black mandible.

What is a common scoter?

The common scoter is an all dark seaduck, the male is totally black and the female lighter, with a pale face. They are often seen as large bobbing rafts offshore, or long straggling lines flying along the coast. The UK breeding population of this small diving seaduck has substantially declined and it is now a Red List species.

Where can I find a Scoter in Scotland?

This bird species has different identifying features depending on sex/age/season. In the breeding season the common scoter favours small lochs in N and W Scotland, especially the Flow Country of Caithness and Sutherland.

Are scoter ducks easy to identify?

Aren’t they easy-peasy?” After all, they are relatively common ducks of our eastern seaboard, there are only three scoter species, and the males have obvious markings. I agree; the males are distinguishable and easily identified. Male Black Scoters are all-black except for the large bright yellow-orange knob on their bill.

What kind of scoter is a black scooter?

Male Black Scoters are all-black except for the large bright yellow-orange knob on their bill. They are perhaps the most common of our three scoters. Male Surf Scoters are unmistakable whether they are facing you or facing away, with their multicolored bill and large white rectangular patch on the back of the neck.

Did you know there are scoter birds in Scotland?

A very rare nesting bird on pools in the far north of Scotland, but a more common winter visitor to our coasts. Did you know? Common scoter will dive as deep as 30 metres to hunt for their shellfish prey.

Where do scoter birds go in the winter?

Common Scoter are almost entirely marine during the winter, and tend to congregate in large flocks on shallow seas with sandy bottoms supporting their preferred prey. Irish Wetland Bird Survey.

What does a common scoter duck look like?

Common scoters are commonly spotted as a line of dark ducks flying low over the water, or as large rafts of black ducks bobbing on the sea. The male common scoter is our only all-black duck, with just a small patch of yellow on the bill. The female is dark brown, with a paler cheek.

What is the difference between surf scoter and black scoter?

The surf scoter hen can be differentiated from the black scoter by the more sloping forehead and white face patches. The surf scoter feeds mainly on mollusks; crustaceans; aquatic insects; small fish and on green plant matter such as pondweeds, wild celery, muskgrass and the seeds of sedges and bulrushes.

What does a female surf scoter bird look like?

The female surf scoter is fairly uniformly colored dark to black-brown with occasional whitish feathers. There are two whitish patches on the cheeks below the eyes. The bill is greenish-black or bluish-black. The legs and feet are dull orange and the iris is pale or brown. Female plumages of all scoter species are similar.

Where can I see scotches in the UK?

Where and when to see them. In the breeding season the common scoter favours small lochs in N and W Scotland, especially the Flow Country of Caithness and Sutherland. In winter it is found off the UK coast with concentrations in Carmarthen and Cardigan Bays, along the Moray Firth and along the North Norfolk coast.

Where are the best places to go birdwatching in Scotland?

Reserves and other places of interest for birdspotters are scattered across the entire swathe of the Highlands, from Skye in the south to Dunnet Head in the north. Even Inverness makes a good base for ornithologists.

What does black Scotter stand for?

The black scoter or American scoter ( Melanitta americana) is a large sea duck, 43 to 49 cm (17 to 19 in) in length. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek melas “black” and netta “duck”. The species name is from the Latin for “American “. Together with the common scoter M.

What kind of Duck is a surf scoter?

Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) The Surf Scoters are large sea ducks that are endemic to North America. These ducks are sexually dimorphic, both in their size, mass, and plumage. The males are larger and heavier than female, and have a velvety-black body with white patches on their forehead and nape.

What is the easiest scoter to identify?

With regard to the female/immature scoters, Black Scoter is easiest. To me its facial pattern is very reminiscent of a non-breeding or female Ruddy Duck (a bird that might be more familiar to most of us), with the dark cap and contrasting light cheek, which as we soon will see, is very different from the other two scoters.

What does a surf scooter duck look like?

The Surf Scoters are large sea ducks that are endemic to North America. These ducks are sexually dimorphic, both in their size, mass, and plumage. The males are larger and heavier than female, and have a velvety-black body with white patches on their forehead and nape.

How do you identify a duck?

Duck ID Sheet • 1 Generally, waterfowl provide an excellent group to identify for beginner-birders. Ducks and geese are relatively large, common at many local parks, and usually distinctive. Although both sexes of geese look the same (other than size), most ducks are distinctly “sexually dimorphic”—meaning that males look different than females.

How many different species of scoter ducks are there?

After all, they are relatively common ducks of our eastern seaboard, there are only three scoter species, and the males have obvious markings. I agree; the males are distinguishable and easily identified.

How big is a black scoter duck?

The black scoter or American scoter (Melanitta americana) is a large sea duck, 43 to 49 cm (17 to 19 in) in length. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek melas “black” and netta “duck”.

What can you do in Scotland with binoculars?

Use a pair of binoculars to see magnificent birds of prey, such as a nesting pair of ospreys with their young in their Highland retreat. See huge colonies of seabirds. Get closer to elusive seabirds than you could ever imagine on a boat charter or wildlife cruise in Scotland.

Are Robins popular in Scotland?

Robins are well known and indeed well loved birds in Scotland and across the rest of the UK too. In fact they were recently named the UK’s national bird following an opinion poll organised by David Lindo, aka the Urban Birder.

What kind of Duck is black with a pale face?

Bird family: Ducks, geese and swans The common scoter is an all dark seaduck, the male is totally black and the female lighter, with a pale face. They are often seen as large bobbing rafts offshore, or long straggling lines flying along the coast.

What kind of duck has a black and white head?

The black-and-white patches on the heads of male Surf Scoters prompted this sea duck’s nickname “old skunkhead,” although the big, sloping orange bill is at least as distinctive. In winter, look for these dark-bodied ducks (and the browner females) near to shore, defying ocean waves with a quick dive just before they break.

What does a surf scupper look like?

Females are dark brown with dark gray bills and usually show two patches of white on the face. Surf Scoters rest on the water’s surface and dive for their prey. Flocks of thousands can be seen in migration along ocean coasts.

What is a black scoter?

Black Scoters are also known colloquially by the descriptive names of ‘butterbill’ and ‘coppernose’, due to the yellow and orange ‘globe’ that seems to be stuck on the base of a flat black mandible. Adult male Common Scoter has a black bill, with the ‘knobbly bit’ right at the top of the bill base.

What to do in the highlands of Scotland?

Immerse yourself in the natural world and get close to some of Scotland’s most elusive and endangered species from the peace and quiet of a bird hide. Use a pair of binoculars to see magnificent birds of prey, such as a nesting pair of ospreys with their young in their Highland retreat.