Melanitta deglandi
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The white-winged scoter (Melanitta deglandi) is a large sea duck. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek melas "black" and netta "duck". The species name commemorates French ornithologist Côme-Damien Degland. The white-winged scoter is one of three North American scoter species and the largest species of scoter. Females range from 950 to 1,950 g (2.09 to 4.30 lb) and 48 to 56 cm (19 to 22 in), averaging 1,180 g (2.60 lb) and 52.3 cm (20.6 in). The male ranges from 1,360 to 2,128 g (2.998 to 4.691 lb) and from 53 to 60 cm (21 to 24 in), averaging 1,380 g (3.04 lb) and 55 cm (22 in). The white-winged scoter has a wingspan of 31.5 in (80 cm). This species is characterized by its bulky shape and large bill, which is feathered at the gape unlike the blocky bill base of the surf scoter. The white secondary flight feathers by which the species is named is visible in flight, but may be concealed when swimming.
The male is all black, except for white around the eye and a white speculum. The bill is orange and red with a large black knob at the base. It takes three years for definitive (adult) plumage to be attained – second-year males resemble adult males but exhibit... Wikipedia →
Call0:16
Canada · 2014
© Andrew Spencer · XC181618 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Kenai Fjords National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Katmai National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Kluane National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 11 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 12 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 13 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 15 | Denali National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 17 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buttonwood Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an American White-winged Scoter sighting in Acadia National Park on a given day, based on 1,117 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 69th most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an American White-winged Scoter in Acadia National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to August, the lowest months.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most American White-winged Scoter sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 17
Of the 17 parks where we can rate American White-winged Scoter sightings, Acadia National Park ranks 7th at about 10%. The best odds are in Great Bear Rainforest (Canada, about 20%), Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (Canada, about 20%) and Cape Breton Highlands National Park (Canada, about 20%).
Same genus: Melanitta
The closest relatives of the American White-winged Scoter that you can see in Acadia National Park (genus Melanitta, Scoters) are Black Scoter (about 20%) and Surf Scoter (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the American White-winged Scoter is recorded against all the birds logged in Acadia National Park (1,117 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
