(DRAFT) - Taxonomy
Species scoter, black
Species Id M040075
Date 26 AUG 96
TAXONOMY
NAME - scoter, black
OTHER COMMON NAMES - common scoter, American scoter and coot
ELEMENT CODE - 04/25/84
AOU CODE - 08/29/86
CATEGORY - Birds
PHYLUM AND SUBPHYLUM - Chordata, Vertebrata
CLASS AND SUBCLASS - Aves,
ORDER AND SUBORDER - Anseriformes,
FAMILY AND SUBFAMILY - Anatidae, Aythyinae
GENUS AND SUBGENUS - Melanitta,
SPECIES AND SSP - nigra, americana
SCIENTIFIC NAME - Melanitta nigra americana
AUTHORITY - Linnaeus
TAXONOMY REFERENCES - 609
COMMENTS ON TAXONOMY -
AKA American scoter, common scoter, coot *540*
Taxonomy - 1 (DRAFT) - Status
Species scoter, black
Species Id M040075
Date 26 AUG 96
STATUS
Coded Status
Federal Migratory
Game (Consumptive Recreational)
REFERENCES FOR STATUS - 1500 and 758
Status - 1 (DRAFT) - Distribution
Species scoter, black
Species Id M040075
Date 26 AUG 96
DISTRIBUTION
References on County Occurrence - 001, 059, 073, 093, 099, 103, 115, 119, 131, 133, 153, 179, 193, 199, 650, 700, 710, 740, 800, 810, CB1, CB2, CB3 and AO1
References on County Abundance - 001, 059, 073, 093, 099, 103, 115, 119, 131, 133, 153, 179, 193, 199, 650, 700, 710, 740, 800, 810, CB1, CB2, CB3, AO1 and 999
REFERENCES FOR HYDROLOGIC UNIT CODES - 001, 059, 073, 093, 099, 103, 115, 119, 131, 133, 153, 179, 193, 199, 650, 700, 710, 740, 800, 810, CB1, CB2, CB3, AO1 and 999
OTHER DISTRIBUTION
REFERENCES FOR OTHER DISTRIBUTION - H
Distribution - 1 HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS
HABITAT - Aquatic
REFERENCES FOR HABITAT - 609
LAND USE -
Streams and Canals
Reservoirs
Water
Lakes
Bays and Estuaries
Wetland
Forested Wetland
Nonforested Wetland
Chesapeake Bay
Atlantic Ocean Coastal Waters
REFERENCES FOR LAND USE - 4443, 540, 607, 424, 538 and 1500
NATIONAL WETLAND INVENTORY CODES
NWI NWICLS NWIMOD NWISPEC
Marine
Estuarine
Palustrine
Lacustrine
Riverine
REFERENCES FOR NWI - 4443 and 538
ANIMAL/PLANT SPECIES ASSOCIATIONS -
Diseases and Parasites: Bacterial: Chlamydiosis *2046*
Cholera *1802*
Helminths: Nematodes *2051*
Trematodes *1675*
Protozoan: Blood parasites *1830,1948*
Miscellaneous *1990*
COMMENTS ON SPECIES ASSOCIATIONS -
Diseases and Parasites: General reference
*1897,1942*;
POTENTIAL NATURAL VEGETATION -
065 Northern Cordgrass Prairie (Distichlis-Spartina)
101 Oak - Hickory - Pine Forest (Quercus-Carya-Pinus)
103 Southern Floodplain Forest (Quercus-Nyssa-Taxodium)
REFERENCES FOR PNV - 609 and 700
ECOREGION -
Southeastern Mixed Forest: Flat Plains
Southeastern Mixed Forest: Irregular Plains
Southeastern Mixed Forest: Plains with Hills
REFERENCES FOR ECOREGION - 609 AND 700
Habitat Associations - 1 (DRAFT) - Food Habits
Species scoter, black
Species Id M040075
Date 26 AUG 96
FOOD HABITS
TROPHIC LEVEL -
Omnivore
REFERENCES FOR TROPHIC LEVEL - 540
LIFESTAGE FOOD FOOD PART
General Animals Adult stage
General Molluscs Adult stage
General Bivalve Molluscs Adult stage
General Polychaetes Adult stage
General Annelids Adult stage
General Echinoderms Adult stage
General Starfish Adult stage
General Trichoptera Adult stage
General Chitons Adult stage
General Cirripeds Adult stage
General Malacostraca Adult stage
General Plants Leaves/Needles
General Plants Fruit/Seeds
General Tracheophyta Leaves/Needles
General Tracheophyta Fruit/Seeds
General Angiospermae Leaves/Needles
General Angiospermae Fruit/Seeds
General Monocotyledoneae Leaves/Needles
General Monocotyledoneae Fruit/Seeds
General Poaceae Fruit/Seeds
General Corn Fruit/Seeds
General Hydrocharitaceae Leaves/Needles
General Crustaceans Adult stage
General Spermopsida Leaves/Needles
General Spermopsida Fruit/Seeds
General See Comments; Food See Comments
Important Animals Adult stage
Important Molluscs Adult stage
Important Bivalve Molluscs Adult stage
Important See Comments; Food See Comments
Juvenile Hydrocharitaceae Not Specified
Adult Crustaceans Not Specified
Adult Insects Not Specified
Adult Insects Larva stage
Adult Osteichthyes Not Specified
Adult Osteichthyes Egg/Fetus stage
Adult Cypriniformes Not Specified
Adult Snails Not Specified
Adult Malacostraca Not Specified
Adult Salientia Not Specified
Adult Salientia Larva stage
Adult Haloragidacea Not Specified
Adult Trichoptera Not Specified
Adult Polychaetes Not Specified
Food Habits - 1 (DRAFT) - Food Habits
Species scoter, black
Species Id M040075
Date 26 AUG 96
REFERENCES FOR GENERAL FOOD - 540, 607, 424, 1500 and 538
REFERENCES FOR IMPORTANT FOOD - 540, 607, 424, 1500 and 538
REFERENCES FOR ADULT FOOD - 4940, 5771, 538, 4946 and 5554
REFERENCES FOR JUVENILE FOOD - 4946
COMMENTS ON FOOD -
9999S=eat 90% animal and 10% plant material; 65% molluscs and
greater than 24% mussels *424*
Food Habits - 2 (DRAFT) - Environment Associations
Species scoter, black
Species Id M040075
Date 26 AUG 96
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS
G = General A = Adult
LIM = Limiting RA = Resting Adult
J = Juvenile FA = Feeding Adult
RJ = Resting Juvenile BA = Breeding Adult
FJ = Feeding Juvenile P = Pupae
L = Larvae E = Egg
RL = Resting Larvae
FL = Feeding Larvae
LIFESTAGE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS
G Aquatic Habitat Zonation: Shallows with emergent vegetation [littoral zone]
G Water Level: Permanently flooded areas
G Water Depth Preference: 1-5 ft.
G Water Depth Preference: 5-10 ft.
G Water Depth Preference: 10-25 ft.
G Coastal Features: Reefs
G Inland Wetlands: Inland open fresh water
G Inland Wetlands: Bogs
G Coastal Wetlands: Coastal open fresh water
G Coastal Wetlands: Sounds and bays
G Vegetation Mosaics/Edges: Specified in Comments
G Aquatic/Terrestrial Ecotones: Woodland/water
G Grasses: Specified in Comments
G Hardwood Forest: Birch
G Hardwood Forest: Willow
G Percent Shrub Ground Cover: Specified in Comments
G Human Association: Wildlife refuges/sanctuaries
REFERENCES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOC_ - 540, 607, 424, 1500 and 538
COMMENTS ON ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATIONS -
00530S=prefers transition zone between tundra and forest
for breeding *540*; 00640S=millet *424*; 00790S=prefer to nest in dense
shubbery *540*
Environment Associations - 1 (DRAFT) - Life History
Species scoter, black
Species Id M040075
Date 26 AUG 96
LIFE HISTORY
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: adult male head, neck, and body
entirely black; glossy above and less glossy below; black rather pointed
tail; under wing coverts brownish black and silvery gray; glossy black
upper wing surface; bill blackish with yellow-orange basal enlargement
that ends at nostrils; eye brown; legs and feet brownish black with
darker webs *539*; adult female top of head down to level of eyes and
back of neck dark brown; rest of head and neck whitish spotted with
dusky coloration; tail and upper wing surface dusky brown; eye brown;
bill blackish; legs and feet dark greenish brown *539*; immature males
gradually becomes black except on breast and wings during first winter;
bill begins to assume adult shape and color; bill may not be fully
developed until third year *539*; juveniles resemble adult females but
are paler, especially on the underparts and lower half of the head
*539*; length male 228-242 mm, female 220-229 mm; weight males in fall
and winter average 1100 g with maximum of 1268 g; female in fall and
winter average 950 g with a maximum of 1087 g *539*; voice male cooing
notes, female growls *609*; downy young dark brown with no dorsal
spotting and an indistinct check patch *536*; rises from water easier
than most diving ducks; flys about in small groups *1500*; wing
measurements, adult male 229 mm, adult female 221 mm, immature male 224
mm, immature female 213 mm *424*; REPRODUCTION: breeding season mid to
late June *540*; continue laying until August *1500*; incubation period
27-28 days *540,424,1500*; fledgling 6-7 weeks *540,424*; eggs 5-8
(frequently 8, up to 9); buff to pink buff *1500*; age at sexual
maturity end of 2nd year *540*; do not renest; continue egg deposition
when eggs are lost during the laying period *424*; breeding behavior
pair bonds are renewed yearly; some birds come to breeding grounds
already paired *538*; not known if they return to previous nest sites
*424*; social display occurs at sea in small flocks of one female and
5-8 males with number of males gradually increasing as number of unmated
females decreases *540*; sexual behavior of females no obvious inciting;
may do chin-lifting; calls in unison with male when he utters courtship
whistle; calls from erect posture; preens behind the wing; stimulates
male to perform low rush display; female may also perform low rush and
tail snap; displays include lateral head-shaking, upward stretch, wing
flapping, preening *536*; paired males continue to display but at a
lesser frequency *540*; sexual behavior of male displays include upward
stretch, wing flapping, lateral head shaking, preening, low rush (brings
head low to surface of water with neck stretched out, swims very quickly
through water with much splashing); tail snap (brings tail up, flips
down to surface of water, extends head low and performs low rush), short
flight, tail cocking, general shaking and 'comfort movements' *536,540*;
usual sequence of displays 1) courtship whistle in erect posture, 2)
tail-snap, 3) low rush, 4) waterflick, 5) breast preen, 6) forward
stretch of body while keeping head tucked in, 7) upward stretch (lifting
of breast up out of water) *536*; copulatory behavior both sexes preen;
female assumes prone posture only while male is mounting; male performs
upward stretch and mounts immediately; male does not flick wings; swims
away in neck-stretching posture (head up and neck fully extended);
female bathes immediately *582*; females are abandoned by males shortly
after incubation begins; females are very tight nest sitters *540*;
Life History - 1 (DRAFT) - Life History
Species scoter, black
Species Id M040075
Date 26 AUG 96
BEHAVIOR: no territory established *538*; nest density: nests
distributed at random; no nesting colonies; 5 acres/nest *538*; nest
sites: nests in southwest Alaska and northeast Canada *1500,609*; breeds
near freshwater ponds, lakes, and rivers in tundra or wooded country
*607,538*; prefers tundra/forest transition; no specific tendency to
nest on islands *540*; breeds extensively in muskeg and bogs *424*;
shrubs are favored nesting cover; often breeds in dense birch and willow
scrub 10-30 meters from water *540,538*; nest placed in large clump of
grass on tundra or under dense shrubs *540*; will place nests near
potholes *424*; migration: normal fall migration in Chesapeake Bay
9/15-11/30 with peak from 10/10-11/15; normal spring migration is
2/20-5/10 with peak from 2/25-4/30; high count on Chincoteague National
Wildlife Refuge 16300 (12/30/64), population averages for Newport News,
Virginia, Christmas counts (1973-1977) 5 *582*; Chesapeake Bay counts
(late September/mid-October) 7600; Audubon Christmas counts (1954-1962),
average total count 6345 *538*; late arrivals on breeding grounds (peak
May) *540*; flocks led by an old experienced male; flocks of one hundred
or more associate with the other 2 North American scoters *607*; males
and non-breeding females migrate off the breeding grounds before
incubation of eggs starts; molt at sea; breeding females molt when the
young can fly *540,538*; birds which winter on Atlantic coast probably
breed in Canada rather than Alaska *424*; after arriving on coast,
follow coastline to favored feeding grounds; migrate at high altitudes
since long overland passage prior to reaching coast *424*; no breed
mergers take place *540*; food and foraging found at sea; forages in
shallow areas usually within a mile of shore and just beyond the
breakers *02,540*; prefers calmer waters of protected coastal bays and
sounds with water depth of 25 feet or less; often feeds over reefs
*1500*; dives and may open wings under water *536*; forages actively
during the day; moves to shallow water in morning to forage; will
associate with surf scoters but most often seen in single species
flocks; size differences between the scoters may produce differences in
effective foraging depth; will dive up to 40 feet *538*; eat 90% animal
matter and 10% plant material; molluscs make up to 65%, with blue
mussels making up more than 24% *424*; food includes polychaete worms,
annelids, mussels, starfish, periwinkles, limpets, dog whelks, oyster
drills, chitons, barnacles, shrimp, crab, fish, millet seeds, corn,
grain, aquatic plants, rock clams, wedge clams, razor clams,
crustaceans, pondweed, wigeongrass *540,607,424,1500,538*; usually only
eats vegetation when breeding in the interior *607*; other behavior:
indicates intention to fly by swimming in an alert neck stretched
attitude and by performing lateral head shakes *536*; POPULATION
PARAMETERS: age ratios 1.9 immatures/adult; sex ratios 1.67 males/female
(62.5%) *424*; causes of mortality: 2-3% mortality from ingestion of
lead shot (consumed in large amounts as food is taken from the bottom);
flooding on breeding grounds; freezes on wintering grounds; illegal
hunting; pesticides; oil spills (in one spill on Virginia section of
Chesapeake Bay 2/1/76 20 black scoters were killed) *582*; raven
predation on nests *538*; estimates of population size-breeding in
western Alaska 235000 *540*; breeding in North America 543000 *424*;
breeding on Atlantic Coast 22000 (estimated to be too low) *424*; total
in North America 500000-1000000 *540*; wintering on both coasts 155000
(estimated to be too low) *424*; OTHER: population count (all 3 species
Life History - 2 (DRAFT) - Life History
Species scoter, black
Species Id M040075
Date 26 AUG 96
of North American scoters): January inventory (USFWS) in Chesapeake Bay
and off Maryland/Virginia coast-1979 21096, 1980 17506 *582*; 1979 USFWS
breeding population estimate 1345000 *582*; do not visit crop fields,
cannot rise vertically from water; awkward on land; often fly in low
line over the water *582*; hard to count since many small flocks are
missed on aerial surveys and some are too far off the coast to be
noticed *424*
REFERENCES FOR LIFE HISTORY- 536, 582, 540, 607, 424, 1500, 538, 609 and 539
Life History - 3 (DRAFT) - Management Practices
Species scoter, black
Species Id M040075
Date 26 AUG 96
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
RESULT MANAGEMENT PRACTICE
Beneficial Maintaining unique or special habitat features [wetlands, caves,
Beneficial Developing/maintaining freshwater marsh
Beneficial Controlling pollution [thermal, chemical, physical]
Beneficial Controlling water levels
Beneficial Regulating harvest - restricting weapons/gear use
Beneficial Other management practices [specified in comments]
Adverse Applying pesticides
REFERENCES FOR BENEFICIAL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES - 582
REFERENCES FOR ADVERSE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES - 582
COMMENTS ON MANAGEMENT PRACTICES -
999(B)=control use of lead shot *582*; control illegal hunting
*582*;
Management Practices - 1 (DRAFT) - References
Species scoter, black
Species Id M040075
Date 26 AUG 96
References
424* Bellrose, R.C. 1978. Ducks, Geese and Swans of North
America. 2nd ed.. Stackpole Books Harrisburg, Penn:540.
536* Johnsgard, P.A. 1965. Handbook of Waterfowl. Cornell Univ.
Press Ithaca, N.Y:38.
538* Johnsgard, P.A. 1975. Waterfowl of North America. Indiana
Univ. Press Bloomington:575.
539* Johnsgard, P.A. 1978. Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World.
Univ. Nebraska Press Lincoln:404.
540* Johnsgard, P.A. 1979. A Guide to North American Waterfowl.
Indiana Univ. Press Bloomington.
582* Meanley, B. 1982. Waterfowl of the Chesapeake Bay Country.
Tidewater Publ. Centreville, Md:210.
607* Pearson, G.T. (ed.)1936. Birds of America. Garden City
Publ. Co. Garden City, N.Y:260.
609* Peterson, R.T. 1980. Birds of eastern and central North
America. 4th Ed.. Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston, Mass:384.
700* Ornithology, Virginia Society of. 1979. Virginia's
Birdlife: An Annotated Check-list. Virginia Avifauna No. 2.
Virginia Society of Ornithology Lynchburg, Va:118.
758* (ed.)1982. Fish and wildlife. 50 CFR 10 (Code of Federal
Regulations). General Serv. Admin. Washington, D.C:7.
1500* Terres, J.K. 1982. AUDUBON SOCIETY ENCYCLOPEDIA OF NORTH
AMERICAN BIRDS. Alfred A. Knopf N.Y.
4443* Humburg, P.. Pers. Comm. Unpubl., Missouri Dept. Conserv.
1110 College Ave, Columbia, Mo.
4940* Bellrose, F.C. 1980. Ducks, Geese, and Swans of North
America. Stackpole Books Harrisburg, PA:540.
4946* Bent, A.C. 1925. Life Histories of N. American Wild Fowl:
Part 2. US Nat. Mus. Bull. 180:376.
5554* Cottam, C. 1939. Food habits of North American diving
ducks. USDA Tech. Bull. 643:139.
5771* Kortright, F.H. 1953. The Ducks, Geese, and Swans of North
America. Stackpole Co. & Wildlife Manage. Institute:476.
References - 1