Common Scoter

Melanitta nigra

Introduction

This dark seaduck, which lacks any white in the wing, has small breeding populations in Scotland and Ireland. It is more familiar as a coastal and marine species outside of the breeding season.

Our small breeding population is restricted to a few larger lochs in Inverness-shire and Perthshire, parts of the Flow Country in north-east Scotland and a handful of loughs in western Ireland.

Large moulting flocks, involving birds from other breeding populations, form from summer into early autumn, often at traditional sites off Scotland's eastern coast and in Carmarthen Bay in Wales.

Key Stats

Common

1kg

6-8

BTO Records

200k records

Population and distribution stats for:

No data

52 Pairs

-50% contraction

No data

135k

40.5% expansion

Identification

Curated resources to aid in the identification of Common Scoter

ID Videos

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This section features BTO training videos headlining this species, or featuring it as a potential confusion species.

Scoters

Songs and Calls

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Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Common Scoter, provided by xeno-canto contributors.

Call:

Status and Trends

Population size, trends and patterns of distribution based on BTO and partnership surveys and atlasses with data collected by BTO volunteers.

Conservation Status

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This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.

UK Birds of Conservation Concern

Red listed

Species of European Conservation Concern

Least Concern

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global)

Least Concern

Schedule 1 Licence required (to disturb)*

Yes

Birds Directive Annex 1

Listed on the Annexes of*

WCA(I), WBD(II*,III*), Bern(III), Bonn(II), AEWA, NERC (41)

* A guide only. Check details with the original legislation, especially those marked with an asterisk. See About Birdfacts for more information.

Population Size

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UK (breeding)

52 Pairs (2007)

Source

UK (winter)

135 thousand (2011-15)

Source

BOU Category

Source

First Record*

Recorded in Medieval times

* First documented occurrence. Most species undoubtedly occurred before this. See About Birdfacts for more information.

Population Change

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Although a widespread winter visitors to offshore UK waters, Common Scoter is a scarce breeding species with around 50 pairs breeding in northern Scotland; the species is monitored by the RBBP and the population trend is considered stable over the 25 years to 2019 (Eaton et al. 2021). However, it should be noted that the estimate of 52 pairs from the last national survey in 2007 represented a decline from the 95 pairs found during the previous survey in 1995 (Holling et al. 2010).

Distribution

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Although small numbers breed in Britain & Ireland, the Common Scoter is to most birdwatchers a familiar winter visitor, present around much of the British & Irish coastline, though patchily distributed in northwest Ireland and western Scotland. There are also a scatter of inland records throughout central and southeast England that relate to singles or small groups that may turn up following poor weather.

Occupied 10-km squares in UK

These figures come from Bird Atlas 2007 and indicate how widespread a species is.

No. occupied in breeding season

% occupied in breeding season

0.8%

No. occupied in winter

602

% occupied in winter

20%

Bird Atlas distribution maps show where bird species breed or winter in Britain and Ireland. For breeding maps, larger dots indicate higher certainty the species bred in that area.

Click the map to enlarge,
or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

Click the map to enlarge,
or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

To view and download up-to-date distribution information aggregated from across BTO and partnership surveys and schemes, see our data holdings on the NBN Atlas.

European Distribution Map

European Breeding Bird Atlas 2

Distribution Change

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There has been a 39% winter range expansion since the 1981–84 Winter Atlas, with gains occurring throughout the range. The mixed pattern of gains and losses at inland sites reflects the chance events of migrant or storm-driven individuals dropping in at particular sites.

Change in occupied 10-km squares in the UK

These figures come from Bird Atlas 2007-11 and indicate by how much occupied areas have expanded or contracted over recent decades.

% change in range in breeding season (1968–72 to 2008–11)

-50 %

% change in range in winter (1981–84 to 2007–11)

40.5 %

Bird Atlas distribution change maps show how bird distributions have changed through time. Coloured upward-pointing triangles show places apparently colonised over the period; grey downward-pointing triangles show places apparently vacated. Shading show places occupied.

Winter Distribution change for Common Scoter

Click the map to enlarge,
or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

Breeding Distribution change for Common Scoter

Click the map to enlarge,
or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

Seasonality

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Common Scoters are most abundant in winter but can be seen throughout the year, with early returning breeders appearing from July onwards.

Weekly pattern of occurrence

The graph shows when the species is present in the UK, with taller bars indicating a higher likelihood of encountering the species in appropriate regions and habitats.

Phenology graph — Weekly occurrence patterns (shaded cells and reporting rates (vertical bars) based on BirdTrack data. Reporting rates give the likelihood of encountering the species each week.

Movement

Information about Common Scoter movements and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.

Britain & Ireland movement

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View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report

Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland

Dots show the foreign destinations of birds ringed in Britain & Ireland, and the origins of birds ringed overseas that were subsequently recaptured, resighted or found dead in Britain & Ireland. Dot colours indicate the time of year that the species was present at the location.

Winter (Nov-Feb)
Spring (Mar-Apr)
Summer (May-Jul)
Autumn (Aug-Oct)

Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland

European movements

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EuroBirdPortal uses birdwatcher's records, such as those logged in BirdTrack to map the flows of birds as they arrive and depart Europe. See maps for this species here.

The Eurasian-African Migration Atlas shows movements of individual birds ringed or recovered in Europe. See maps for this species here.

Biology

Lifecycle and body size information for Common Scoter, including statistics on nesting, eggs and lifespan based on BTO ringing and nest recording data.

Productivity and Nesting

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Nesting timing

Typical (exceptional) number of broods

Source

Egg measurements

Typical length x width

66x45 mm

Mass (% shell)

72g (8%)

Source

Clutch Size

Typical number

8-6 eggs

Observed minimum and maximum

5-11 eggs

Source

Incubation

Incubation by

Female

Typical duration

31-30 days

Source

Fledging

Type of chick

Precocial, downy

Typical duration

50-45 days

Source

Survival and Longevity

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Survival is shown as the proportion of birds surviving from one year to the next and is derived from bird ringing data. It can also be used to estimate how long birds typically live.

View number ringed each year in the Online Ringing Report.

lifespan

Typical life expectancy of bird reaching breeding age

6 years with breeding typically at 2 years

Source

Maximum age from a ringed bird

13 years, 2 months, 27 days (set in 2009)

Source

Survival of adults

All adults

0.783

Females

0.783±0.032

Source

Biometrics

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Wing length and body weights are from live birds (source).

Ring Size

Classification, names and codes

Taxonomy, names and species codes for Common Scoter

Classification and Codes

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Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Scientific name: Melanitta nigra
Authority: Linnaeus, 1758

BTO 2-letter code: CX
BTO 5-letter code: COMSC
Euring code number: 2130

Alternate species names

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Catalan: ànec negre comú
Czech: turpan cerný
Danish: Sortand
Dutch: Zwarte Zee-eend
Estonian: mustvaeras
Finnish: mustalintu
French: Macreuse noire
Gaelic: Lach-bheag-dhubh

German: Trauerente
Hungarian: fekete réce
Icelandic: Hrafnsönd
Irish: Scótar
Italian: Orchetto marino
Latvian: melna pile
Lithuanian: juodoji antis
Norwegian: Svartand

Polish: markaczka (zwyczajna)
Portuguese: negrola
Slovak: turpan cierny
Slovenian: crna raca
Spanish: Negrón común
Swedish: sjöorre
Welsh: Môr-hwyaden Ddu

Research

Interpretation and scientific publications about Common Scoter from BTO scientists.

Causes of Change and Solutions

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Causes of change

The population trend, and hence the drivers of change, are unclear for this species.

More Evidence

More evidence from Conservation Evidence.com

Partners

Birdfacts is based on data collected by volunteers participating in surveys that are organised and funded by BTO, RSPB, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, JNCC and other partners.

BTO

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

JNCC

RSPB

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