Black Scoter

melanitta americana

The Black Scoter (Melanitta americana) is a charismatic sea duck known for its striking all-black plumage in males and its distinctive bill. These highly social birds are powerful divers, spending much of their time foraging for shellfish and marine invertebrates in coastal waters and large freshwater bodies. Black Scoters are strong fliers and undertake extensive migrations, forming large, often dense flocks during their non-breeding seasons. Their unique vocalizations and impressive synchronized diving behaviors make them a fascinating species for birdwatchers and naturalists, highlighting their adaptation to harsh aquatic environments.

生息地: Found primarily in coastal marine environments, estuaries, and large freshwater lakes during winter, and breeding in arctic and subarctic tundra ponds and boreal forest lakes.

外見

Adult male Black Scoters are entirely matte black, with a prominent, bulbous orange-yellow knob at the base of their black bill. Their eyes are dark. Females are dark brownish-black overall, with paler, contrasting cheeks and a dark cap. Their bill is dark and lacks the male's distinctive knob. They are medium-sized ducks, typically appearing bulky with a long body and relatively short tail. In flight, they show all-dark wings, which are held stiffly.

界Animalia門Chordata綱Aves目Anseriformes科Anatidae属Melanitta

Black Scoter

カテゴリ

鳥類

レア度

Common

危険度

1/5 · 非常に低い

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おもしろい事実

During migration and winter, Black Scoters often form enormous, dense rafts on open water, sometimes numbering in the tens of thousands.

Male Black Scoters are unique among ducks for their entirely black plumage and the distinctive orange-yellow knob at the base of their bill.

Their call is often described as a soft, whistly 'poo-poo' or 'pew-pew', a unique sound among sea ducks.

Unlike many ducks, Black Scoters typically take flight by running across the water's surface, requiring a considerable 'runway' to become airborne.

特殊能力

Black Scoters are expert divers, capable of submerging for extended periods to forage on the seafloor. They use their powerful webbed feet to propel themselves underwater, reaching depths of several meters.

When foraging in flocks, Black Scoters often dive simultaneously in a coordinated fashion. This behavior helps them efficiently exploit food resources and may offer some protection from predators by confusing them.

Their unique bill, particularly the large knob in males, is adapted for prying mollusks and other benthic invertebrates from rocks and substrate. The strong, somewhat flattened bill helps crush shells.

サイズと詳細

長さ: 43-56 cm
翼開長: 79-88 cm
体重: 0.9-1.5 kg
寿命: 10-15 年
Top Speed: 90 km/h
一度の産卵数: 6-9
抱卵期間: 27-31 日
渡りの距離: 4000 km

食性と食事

Black Scoters are primarily carnivores, feeding almost exclusively on benthic invertebrates. They dive to the bottom of aquatic habitats to extract their prey.

主な食物

Mussels
Clams
Marine snails
Crustaceans
Marine worms
Aquatic insect larvae

採餌方法

Pursuit

生態系とのつながり

eaten by

Arctic Fox

Vulpes lagopus

Arctic foxes may prey on eggs and young ducklings in nesting colonies.

eaten by

Bald Eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Bald Eagles are opportunistic predators and may prey on adult scoters, especially during winter months when scoters are concentrated on coastal waters.

hunts

Blue Mussel

Mytilus edulis

Mussels are a primary food source for Black Scoters, which dive to consume them from the seafloor.

competitor

Herring Gull

Larus argentatus

Gulls may sometimes attempt to kleptoparasitize scoters, stealing food that they have brought to the surface.

特徴

このオブジェクトにはまだ特徴バッジが割り当てられていません。

別名

まだ別名はありません。

コレクション

テーマが追加されると、このオブジェクトのコレクションがここに表示されます。

安全性

危険度

1/5 · 非常に低い

まだ特別な安全上の注意はありません。

よくある質問

Black Scoterを見分けるには？

Black Scoterを識別する最も簡単な方法は、Snappit自然識別アプリを使用することです。

Black Scoterの長さは何ですか？

43-56 cm

Black Scoterの翼開長は何ですか？

79-88 cm

Black Scoterの体重は何ですか？

0.9-1.5 kg

Black Scoterの寿命は何ですか？

10-15 年

Black Scoterのtop Speedは何ですか？

90 km/h

Black Scoterは何を食べますか？

Black Scoters are primarily carnivores, feeding almost exclusively on benthic invertebrates. They dive to the bottom of aquatic habitats to extract their prey.

Black Scoterは通常どこに生息していますか？

Found primarily in coastal marine environments, estuaries, and large freshwater lakes during winter, and breeding in arctic and subarctic tundra ponds and boreal forest lakes.