Common Scoter

Name: Common Scoter

Scientific name: Melanitta nigra

Category: Birds

Nature Stars: 70

What are nature stars?

About: A large sea duck. In the winter, Common Scoter gathers in flocks of several hundred or even thousands, mostly feeding far out to sea. Most often seen as a line of dark ducks flying low over the water, or large flocks of black ducks bobbing on the sea, a l

How to identify: The male is our only all-black duck, with just a small patch of yellow on the bill. The female is dark brown, with a paler cheek.

Where: A very rare nesting bird on pools in the far north of Scotland, but a common winter visitor to coasts.

Natural Superpowers

• Predator: 40
• Agility: 30
• Rarity: 60
• Cute factor: 40
• Traveller: 80

Fantastic fact: Scoter will dive as deep as 30metres to catch crabs.

Photograph credit: Silvain de Munck