Page 115 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

WILDFOWL
Order Anseriformes Family Anatidae Species Melanitta fusca
Velvet Scoter white spots
on face
thick neck dark bill tapers
dark brown to long tip
body
MALE
white
eye-spot
wedge-shaped
broad white face
wing patch
IN FLIGHT
FEMALE

black body (browner yellow
in summer) sides
red legs of bill

MALE
(WINTER)
large, almost Eider-like diving duck, spending almost all of its
A time at sea, the Velvet Scoter is usually seen in small numbers in
larger Common Scoter flocks. On the water, it is difficult to pick out FLIGHT: fast, low, heavy but strong; usually direct
from the smaller species, but the wing patches revealed in flight are or in wide arc over sea.
immediately obvious. Females are dark-faced in fresh
plumage but soon develop white face spots as the dark
feather tips wear off. Individual variation adds to the
identification problem. If a Velvet Scoter turns up
inland, it may stay for a few days, giving a rare chance
to get a good look at this surprisingly elegant duck.
VOICE Male whistles; female growls, but generally
quiet, especially in winter.
NESTING Down-lined hollow near water; 6–8 eggs;
1 brood; May–July.
FEEDING Dives from surface, to find shellfish, shrimps, WHITE WING PATCHES
crabs, and marine worms. Bold white wing patches distinguish the Velvet Scoter from the Common
Scoter in flight or when it flaps its wings on the water.
SIMILAR SPECIES
OCCURRENCE
COMMON SCOTER 3 Breeds in Scandinavia, along
similar to 3; see p.112 slimmer
bill coasts and on tundra pools.
all-dark slender Winters in North Sea and Baltic
wings neck
on sheltered coasts. Small
numbers join big Common Scoter
white on flocks in summer and autumn.
breast
GOLDENEYE immature; Seen in the UK
see p.115 JF M A M J J AS ON D
Length 52–59cm (20 1 ⁄2 –23in) Wingspan 90–99cm (35–39in) Weight 1.1–2kg (2 1 ⁄2 –4 1 ⁄2lb)
Social Flocks Lifespan 10–12 years Status Localized
113