The scoters are stocky
seaducks in the
genus ''Melanitta''. The drakes are mostly black and have swollen bills, the females are brown. They breed in the far north of
Europe,
Asia, and
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, and
winter farther south in
temperate zones of those continents. They form large flocks on suitable coastal waters. These are tightly packed, and the birds tend to take off together. Their lined nests are built on the ground close to the sea, lakes or rivers, in woodland or tundra. These species dive for crustaceans and molluscs.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Melanitta'' was introduced by the German zoologist
Friedrich Boie in 1822. The
type species was designated in 1838 as the
velvet scoter by
Thomas Campbell Eyton. The genus name combines the
Ancient Greek ''melas'' meaning "black" and ''netta'' meaning "duck".
The genus contains six
species:
The presumed
fossil "scoter" ''Melanitta ceruttii'', which lived in
California during the Late
Pliocene, is now placed in the genus ''
Histrionicus
The harlequin duck (''Histrionicus histrionicus'') is a small sea duck. It takes its name from Harlequin (French ''Arlequin'', Italian ''Arlecchino''), a colourfully dressed character in Commedia dell'arte. The species name comes from the Lati ...
''.
References
Ducks
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{{duck-stub
