Sea Duck Information Series Black (Melanitta nigra) French: Macreuse noire

Description Black are a medium-sized sea ducks approximately 43–49 cm (17–19 in) long. Males are slightly larger than females and weigh 980– 1100 grams (2.2–2.4 lb). Males are solid black and have a yellow knob on their relatively small bill, whereas females are dark brown with a pale cheek patch and a dark crown. They retain the same plumage year-round. In flight, the undersides of their wings flash silvery gray in contrast to their dark bodies. Their wings make a whistling noise in flight. Males are very vocal and make a continuous mellow, plaintive whistling sound. Females make a low growling sound during courtship.

Range The black scoter has two separate breeding populations in : the eastern population Reprinted with permission from the artist, © Joseph Hautman breeds primarily in northern Quebec and western , and Black scoters molt their wing nest is a hollow of grass and down the western population breeds on feathers and become flightless concealed in brushy, dense vegetation; tundra areas of north-central Alaska for 3-4 weeks during July and distance to water varies from a few Peninsula, Alaska’s Bristol Bay August. Known molting areas in meters to hundreds of meters. Males lowlands, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, eastern North America include stay with females until are and to a lesser extent in Kotzebue James and Hudson bays, Labrador, laid, then depart to molting sites in Sound and the Alaska North Slope. and Newfoundland. In western marine and estuarine areas; there Black scoters migrate along both the North America, little is known they assemble in rafts of thousands to Atlantic and Pacific coasts, but little about molting sites, but molting undergo the annual wing molt. is known about inland migration concentrations have been reported Females incubate 6-8 eggs for 27– corridors. in the bays of the Alaska Peninsula, 31 days. Ducklings are fully covered Black scoters winter in two and in coastal areas of the western with down and leave the nest shortly geographically separate areas. Canadian arctic. after hatching. Young ducklings can Along the Atlantic coast, they winter feed by themselves immediately after from Newfoundland southward Habitat and Habits leaving the nest and eat a variety into Florida and along the Gulf of The black scoter is one of North of larvae including , Mexico west to Texas, but highest America’s least-studied sea ducks, dragonfly, mosquito, and midge. They concentrations are along the mid- and little is known about the factors can fly when about six weeks old. Atlantic coast, particularly the New that determine habitat preferences Females stay with broods for at least Jersey and Massachussets coastlines. for breeding, molting, staging, and 4 weeks after the eggs hatch, then A few winter in the Great Lakes. wintering areas. Generally, black begin the molt. Several broods may Along the Pacific coast, black scoters scoters breed near shallow tundra congregate and form large groups on winter from the Aleutian Islands lakes in Alaska, or tundra and lakes. Females raise only one brood to Baja California, with most taiga (boreal forest) lakes in eastern each year. wintering in coastal Alaska and . They winter in near-shore The diet of black scoters at sea is British Columbia. marine and estuarine areas, and to a predominantly mollusks (e.g., mussels Spring migration begins in lesser extent in the Great Lakes. and clams), but also April, and birds arrive on breeding As with other sea ducks, black (e.g., snails, periwinkles), limpets, grounds in mid-to late-May. Little scoters are believed to reach sexual barnacles, and vegetation. Ducks is known about where nonbreeding maturity when they are two or usually feed in depths <10 m, diving or immature birds go during the three years old. Courting begins in to take prey which they then swallow summer; the St. Lawrence River spring, and they arrive paired on the whole; powerful muscles of the seems to be one such area. Timing breeding grounds. Black scoters nest gizzard crush the prey, shell and of fall migration is more variable, later than most ducks. In late June, all. On freshwater breeding areas, beginning in September and lasting females select nesting sites along the black scoters have a varied diet that into November. edges of drainages and lakes. The

Info sheet #2 of 15. October 2003 includes mostly aquatic and some pondweeds.

Population Size and Status There are currently no surveys that do an adequate job of estimating population size or trend for black scoters. About 250,000 black scoters winter on the Atlantic coast of North America, with a similar number on the Pacific coast, although these estimates are crude at best. About 100,000 black scoters stage on the Restigouche River in New Brunswick during spring migration. It is not known how many of the black scoters wintering in the Pacific originate in Alaska or on Russian breeding grounds, and it is not known how many black scoters winter in the Great Lakes or along the Gulf coast. Population estimates for breeding black scoters are limited to only a Distribution of Black Scoter in North America few small areas in Alaska, where an estimated 200,000 birds breed. Indices 11,000 annually for both countries. of monitoring surveys and facilitate of scoter population size in Alaska Most (about 80 percent) of the sport management. from the Waterfowl Breeding Pair harvest occurs in the Atlantic Flyway. and Habitat Survey have declined at Subsistence harvest may be significant References and Resources an average rate of 1.6% per year; or for this species in some areas, with a Bordage, D., and J.-P. Savard. 1995. almost 50% since the 1950’s. There reported annual harvest in western Black Scoter (Melanitta nigra). In are indications of a decline in the Alaska of about 6,000 in recent years, The Birds of North America, No Atlantic Flyway as well. More precise proportionally higher for black scoters 177 (A.F. Poole and F.B. Gill, eds). surveys are needed to determine than for any other duck species. Philadelphia, Penn: The Academy the status of black scoters in North Regulations governing harvest of Natural Sciences; Washington, America. of sea ducks have been quite liberal D.C.: The American Ornithologists’ in the past and need to be carefully Union. Management and Conservation examined; it is not known what effect Seaduckjv.org - the web site for the Black scoters are subject to a sport and subsistence hunting have Sea Duck Joint Venture. combination of threats and ongoing had on this species or what level of impacts. These include contaminants harvest is sustainable. Because of the in the food chain, subsistence harvest, apparent declining population trend, sport harvest, and habitat disturbance harvest restrictions have been imposed and fragmentation, including large- on the U.S. harvest in the Atlantic scale breeding habitat disturbance Flyway. Efforts are underway in from resource-extraction industries Alaska to improve subsistence harvest along the Beaufort Sea of Alaska and surveys and to adjust subsistence Canada, mining projects in Labrador, harvest regulations accordingly. and hydrologic projects in northern Researchers on both the Atlantic Quebec. Black scoters are also and Pacific coasts are using satellite susceptible to oil spills. telemetry to document migration The Sea Duck Joint Venture is a Black scoters are hunted in routes and determine habitats used. conservation partnership under the Canada and the ; this Information from these studies will North American Waterfowl sport harvest averages approximately help in the design and interpretation Management Plan

To learn more about sea ducks and the Sea Duck Joint Venture (SDJV), visit seaduckjv.org or contact:

SDJV Coordinator, U.S./West SDJV Coordinator, Canada/East U.S. & Wildlife Service Canadian Wildlife Service 1011 East Tudor Road 17 Waterfowl Lane, P.O. Box 6227 Anchorage, AK 99503 Sackville, New Brunswick E4L 1G6 (907) 786-3569 (506) 364-5013

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