Black Scoter Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesBlack Scoter
Adult male
Medium-sized sea duck with a fairly small, straight bill. All black except for yellow knob at base of bill.
© Doug Hitchcox / Macaulay LibraryMaine, December 21, 2016Female
Medium-sized sea duck with a fairly small, straight bill. Brownish overall with pale face and neatly delineated dark cap.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryNew Jersey, May 27, 2017Adult males and female
Often found in small flocks, sometimes with other scoter species. Call is a soft whistling. Female lacks yellow knob on bill and has pale cheek with neat dark cap.
© Tom Johnson / Macaulay LibraryNew JerseyNot all videos have sound
Adult male and female
Medium-sized sea duck with a straight, thin bill. In flight, wings are all dark. Breeding males have yellow knob on bill; females have pale cheeks with neat, dark cap.
© Samuel Paul Galick / Macaulay LibraryNew Jersey, February 02, 2014Immature male
Brownish sea duck with dark-capped head pattern reminiscent of female but yellowish knob at base of bill like adult male.
© Samuel Paul Galick / Macaulay LibraryNew Jersey, February 02, 2014Female
Medium-sized brownish sea duck with a small, straight bill. Distinctive face pattern: pale cheeks and sharply defined dark cap.
© Teri Zambon True / Macaulay LibraryFlorida, July 12, 2016Adult male and female (with Surf Scoter)
May occur in flocks with other scoter species. Bill considerably smaller and straighter than Surf Scoter's (second from left).
© Ken Wright / Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, March 23, 2017Habitat
Found mainly in saltwater along rocky coastlines.
© Jason Dain / Macaulay LibraryNova Scotia, January 17, 2021Similar SpeciesWhite-winged Scoter
Adult male
Males have a white patch in the wing unlike male Black Scoters. They also lack the yellow knob on the bill.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryNew York, July 08, 2017Similar SpeciesWhite-winged Scoter
Female
Females have whitish spots on the face and don't have the dark-capped look of female Black Scoters. They also have a white patch in the wings that Black Scoters lack, although it can be hard to see.
© Kevin Hannah / Macaulay LibraryOntario, January 01, 2017Similar SpeciesSurf Scoter
Adult male
Male Surf Scoters have a white patch on the back of the neck that male Black Scoters lack. The bill is orange, white, and black (not yellow).
© Brian Sullivan / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, January 12, 2007Similar SpeciesSurf Scoter
Female
Females have a vertical patch on the sides of the face while female Black Scoters have a uniformly pale cheek. Surf Scoters have a more sloping bill than Black Scoters.
© Esme Rosen / Macaulay LibraryNevada, October 19, 2013Similar SpeciesAmerican Coot
Adult
American Coots are smaller with a thinner bill than Black Scoters. Their bill is white, whereas male Black Scoters have a yellow knob on their bill and females have a brown bill.
© Christoph Moning / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, February 27, 2010Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
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Species in This Family
Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl(Order: Anseriformes, Family: Anatidae)
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