Common Scoter (Melanitta nigra)
VIDEO @= flic.kr/p/25ZMegU
Twelve males displaying to a single female
Skerries Co.Dublin 22-03-2018
[order] Anseriformes | [family] Anatidae | [latin] Melanitta nigra | [UK] Common Scoter | [FR] Macreuse noire | [DE] Trauerente | [ES] Negrón común | [IT] Orchetto marino | [NL] Zwarte Zee-eend | [IRL] Scótar
spanwidth min.: 130 cm
spanwidth max.: 155 cm
size min.: 48 cm
size max.: 58 cm
Breeding
incubation min.: 27 days
incubation max.: 29 days
fledging min.: 0 days
fledging max.: 0 days
broods 1
eggs min.: 10
eggs max.: 12
There has been a decline in breeding numbers since the 1970s - 96 pairs were estimated in 1995 and 80 in 1999. Eutrophication of the waters has reduced the species’ food supply which has resulted in poor productivity and juvenile survival. Mink predation has also had a considerable impact during the breeding season, and incubating females have been most vulnerable. However, in recent decades, it has been suggested that birds may be redistributing to other large lakes in western and central Ireland.
Status: Resident and winter visitor from the Continentto all Irish coasts between October and April.
Conservation Concern: Red-listed due to its declining breeding population. The European population has been evaluated as Secure.
Identification: Medium-sized, plump duck usually seen in large flocks offshore. At closer range, males with yellow knob at base of bill. All dark plumage, with no white on the wing. Males black, females sooty brown with paler cheeks.
Similar Species: Velvet Scoter and other ducks.
Call: Soft piping 'pju'.
Diet: During the summer the diet is varied and includes water plants, insect larvae and freshwater crustaceans. During the winter, they forage mostly in waters less than 20 m deep and with coarse sandy substrates. They feed predominantly on benthic bivalve molluscs.
Breeding: First recorded breeding in Ireland in the beginning of the 20th century at Lower Lough Erne. Numbers increased steadily - up to 150 pairs were estimated during the late 1960s. They nest on islands with dense covering of scrub and tree cover. The breedding population has declined since due to the increase in Mink, which predate the nests and young.
Wintering: 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.
Where to See: Wexford Bay in County Wexford, Castlemaine Harbour & Rossbehy in County Kerry, Brandon Bay - Inner Brandon Bay in County Kerry, Donegal Bay in County Donegal and from Ben Head to Skerries on the east coast are among the best wintering sites, supporting 800-4,500 birds.
Physical characteristics
Black Scoters are large, mostly black or dark gray sea ducks. Formerly called the Common Scoter, the Black Scoter is the least common of the three scoters. Adult males are solid black with a bulbous yellow knob on an otherwise black bill. Females and juveniles are dark gray, lighter on the cheek with a dark cap. Their bills are dark and lack the knob found in adult males.
Scoters spend the non-breeding part of the year in large flocks on the ocean. Black Scoters forage by diving and swimming under water, propelled by their feet. They usually feed in areas of open water, avoiding dense submergent or emergent vegetation. They swallow their prey under water, unless it is large or bulky. They are strong fliers, but must get a running start on the water to get airborne.
Habitat
The breeding range of the Black Scoter is at the edge of the northern forest or in the treeless tundra, where they breed on small, shallow lakes, ponds, sloughs, and river banks with tall grasses to conceal nests. In winter, they can be found on coastal bays and along coastlines, usually in shallow water within a mile of shore.
Common Scoter (Melanitta nigra)
VIDEO @= flic.kr/p/25ZMegU
Twelve males displaying to a single female
Skerries Co.Dublin 22-03-2018
[order] Anseriformes | [family] Anatidae | [latin] Melanitta nigra | [UK] Common Scoter | [FR] Macreuse noire | [DE] Trauerente | [ES] Negrón común | [IT] Orchetto marino | [NL] Zwarte Zee-eend | [IRL] Scótar
spanwidth min.: 130 cm
spanwidth max.: 155 cm
size min.: 48 cm
size max.: 58 cm
Breeding
incubation min.: 27 days
incubation max.: 29 days
fledging min.: 0 days
fledging max.: 0 days
broods 1
eggs min.: 10
eggs max.: 12
There has been a decline in breeding numbers since the 1970s - 96 pairs were estimated in 1995 and 80 in 1999. Eutrophication of the waters has reduced the species’ food supply which has resulted in poor productivity and juvenile survival. Mink predation has also had a considerable impact during the breeding season, and incubating females have been most vulnerable. However, in recent decades, it has been suggested that birds may be redistributing to other large lakes in western and central Ireland.
Status: Resident and winter visitor from the Continentto all Irish coasts between October and April.
Conservation Concern: Red-listed due to its declining breeding population. The European population has been evaluated as Secure.
Identification: Medium-sized, plump duck usually seen in large flocks offshore. At closer range, males with yellow knob at base of bill. All dark plumage, with no white on the wing. Males black, females sooty brown with paler cheeks.
Similar Species: Velvet Scoter and other ducks.
Call: Soft piping 'pju'.
Diet: During the summer the diet is varied and includes water plants, insect larvae and freshwater crustaceans. During the winter, they forage mostly in waters less than 20 m deep and with coarse sandy substrates. They feed predominantly on benthic bivalve molluscs.
Breeding: First recorded breeding in Ireland in the beginning of the 20th century at Lower Lough Erne. Numbers increased steadily - up to 150 pairs were estimated during the late 1960s. They nest on islands with dense covering of scrub and tree cover. The breedding population has declined since due to the increase in Mink, which predate the nests and young.
Wintering: 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.
Where to See: Wexford Bay in County Wexford, Castlemaine Harbour & Rossbehy in County Kerry, Brandon Bay - Inner Brandon Bay in County Kerry, Donegal Bay in County Donegal and from Ben Head to Skerries on the east coast are among the best wintering sites, supporting 800-4,500 birds.
Physical characteristics
Black Scoters are large, mostly black or dark gray sea ducks. Formerly called the Common Scoter, the Black Scoter is the least common of the three scoters. Adult males are solid black with a bulbous yellow knob on an otherwise black bill. Females and juveniles are dark gray, lighter on the cheek with a dark cap. Their bills are dark and lack the knob found in adult males.
Scoters spend the non-breeding part of the year in large flocks on the ocean. Black Scoters forage by diving and swimming under water, propelled by their feet. They usually feed in areas of open water, avoiding dense submergent or emergent vegetation. They swallow their prey under water, unless it is large or bulky. They are strong fliers, but must get a running start on the water to get airborne.
Habitat
The breeding range of the Black Scoter is at the edge of the northern forest or in the treeless tundra, where they breed on small, shallow lakes, ponds, sloughs, and river banks with tall grasses to conceal nests. In winter, they can be found on coastal bays and along coastlines, usually in shallow water within a mile of shore.