Common scoter  (Melanitta nigra)

Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.

Range

The common scoter breeds in Fenno-Scandia, northern Russia, Iceland, Scotland and in north-west Ireland. Its wintering grounds are along Atlantic coasts down to north-west Africa and the Pacific coasts of the southern USA and China (5). A 1995 survey discovered that there were 89 breeding pairs in the UK, all of which were in Scotland (6). The UK wintering population is large and mainly found on inshore waters in Wales, eastern Scotland and north-east England; most of these birds breed in Sweden, Finland and Siberia (6). The wintering sites of the British breeding common scoters are not known. In late summer and autumn common scoters also form large moulting flocks in UK waters (3).

You can view distribution information for this species at the National Biodiversity Network Gateway.

Habitat

Common scoters breed on freshwater. Nesting occurs around moorland (5) or peatland lochs (6). They over-winter at sea in shallow inshore waters (6).

left