Newsletter / Blog
2012-04-15 Rare bird sighting in Netherlands – Surf Scoter
The sighting of a
Surf Scoter in the Netherlands
is very rare. Today at 3 pm an adult male was seen at Texel
– Mokbaai [NH] by Sander Schagen.
Surf Scoter
The Surf Scoter - Melanitta perspicillata - is a large sea duck, which breeds in Canada and Alaska.
Description
The males are
entirely black with a white patch on the forehead and a larger white triangle
on the nape. They have large bills, which are swollen on the top and truncated
on the sides, with black feathers extending to near the nostrils. The bill is
multicolored white, red, yellow and black, appearing mostly orange from a
distance. The legs and feet are reddish-orange with dusky webs, and the iris is
white. The female surf scoter is fairly uniformly colored dark to black-brown
with occasional whitish feathers. There are two whitish patches on the cheeks
below the eyes. The bill is greenish-black or bluish-black. The legs and feet
are dull orange and the iris is pale or brown. Female plumages of all scoter
species are similar. The surf scoter hen can be differentiated from the black
scoter by the more sloping forehead and white face patches.
Call
Usually silent. Male
makes low, clear whistle. Female makes croaking "krraak."
Food
Feeds mainly on
mollusks, crustaceans, aquatic insects, small fish and on green plant matter
such as pondweeds, wild celery, muskgrass and the seeds of sedges and
bulrushes. Rarely diving in water that exceeds 30 feet deep, they forage in the
zone of breaking waves, easily diving through wave crests.
Breeding
The lined nest is
built on the ground close to the sea, lakes or rivers, in woodland or tundra.
The female lays between 5 to 8 eggs. The incubation period is about 28 to 30
days. The offspring will fledge independently at about 55 days.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
While Surf
Scoters remain reasonably numerous, there is evidence of a considerable decline
in the early part of the century. A decline may be still be occurring,
especially in the northwest, possibly due to pollution losses at sea. Least
numerous of the scoters worldwide.
Birdwatching
Ask Aves
Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures to create a custom tour for you to see
these sea ducks. |