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Common Scoter

Melanitta nigra


Where is it found?

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Ocean, rivers and lakes.

Diet and foraging method

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Finds food by diving beneath the surface of the water.
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Key adaptations

Large bill allows Scoters to take large prey items like crabs and clams.

Social organisation

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Flocks

Did you know that...?

Common Scoters are highly social, and have been seen in winter flocks of up to 100,000 individuals!

Taxonomy

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Picture credits:

Maps from: http://species.mol.org/species/
"Eurasian common scoter" by Jason Thompson - Flickr: eurasian common scoter. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eurasian_common_scoter.jpg#/media/File:Eurasian_common_scoter.jpg
"Sjöorre - Common Scoter" by Stefan Berndtsson - Sjöorre / Common Scoter. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sj%C3%B6orre_-_Common_Scoter.jpg#/media/File:Sj%C3%B6orre_-_Common_Scoter.jpg
"Melanitta nigra MWNH 1025" by Klaus Rassinger und Gerhard Cammerer, Museum Wiesbaden - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Melanitta_nigra_MWNH_1025.JPG#/media/File:Melanitta_nigra_MWNH_1025.JPG
"Melanitta nigra". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Melanitta_nigra.jpg#/media/File:Melanitta_nigra.jpg

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