What does a surf scoters eat?

What does a surf scoters eat?

Small mollusks, especially mussels and clams, form a large part of the diet, as well as marine snails, small crabs, sea squirts, hydrozoans (related to jellyfish), various marine worms, and (particularly in the Pacific) herring spawn. They also consume aquatic vegetation.

Are white-winged scoters rare?

White-winged Scoters are usually the scarcest of the three scoter species in North America, but scanning through such flocks will usually turn up a larger bird with telltale white patches on the inner wing (very noticeable in flight and often partly visible on resting birds).

What does a black scoter eat?

Food. Breeding Black Scoters consume large quantities of insects and their larvae, notably caddisfly, mayfly, and beetles, small mollusks and crustaceans (such as amphipods), as well as fish eggs. Their summer diet also includes vegetation, including iris, pondweed, duckweed, and milfoil.

Where do Scoters nest?

Nest site is often some distance away from water, on ground, well hidden under low tree branches or in dense grass clump. Nest (built by female) is a shallow depression lined with down.

Are surf scoters rare?

The surf scoter is abundant October to April, and common late September and early May, on estuarine and marine waters near shore along the entire California coast. Very uncommon (locally common) through summer, when it occurs especially at river mouths and along outer coast. Does not breed in California.

What are ducks with white wings?

The white-winged duck or white-winged wood duck (Asarcornis scutulata) is a large species of duck, formerly placed in the genus Cairina with the Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) and allied with the dabbling ducks….

What kind of ducks have white wings?

Measurements. Wild Muscovy Ducks are mostly black. Adult males have large white patches on the wings; juveniles show much smaller white wing patches.

Where are black scoter ducks found?

Found mainly in saltwater along rocky coastlines.

Do Scoters migrate?

Migration Status Black Scoters migrate north from March through May and south from late September through November. The fall migration is preceded by a molt migration where birds molt in large groups at northern coastal sites before heading south in fresh plumage.

Where are black scoters found?

Black Scoters form large winter flocks along both Atlantic and Pacific coastlines, though they are scarcer south of the Carolinas and northern California. During late autumn, tens of thousands may migrate southward past prominent headlands or peninsulas.

Is a surf scoter a duck?

The surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) is a large sea duck native to North America. Adult males are almost entirely black with characteristic white patches on the forehead and the nape and adult females are slightly smaller and browner.