Melanitta fusca
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The velvet scoter (Melanitta fusca) is a large sea duck, which breeds over the far north of Europe and the Palearctic west of the Yenisey basin. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek melas "black" and netta "duck". The species name is from the Latin fuscus "dusky brown".
The velvet scoter was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Anas fusca. Linnaeus specified the type locality as European seas but restricted this to the Swedish coast in 1761. The velvet scoter is now one of six species placed in the genus Melanitta that was introduced in 1822 by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek melas meaning "black" and netta meaning "duck". The specific epithet fusca is from Latin fuscus meaning "dusky", "black" or "brown". The species is considered to be monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
The velvet scooter was formerly considered to be conspecific with the white-winged scoter (Melanitta deglandi) of North America and Stejneger's scoter (Melanitta stejnegeri) of eastern Siberia and northwest Mongolia. The velvet... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bird Park Steinen | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | akwarium warszawskiego ZOO | 🇵🇱 Poland |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Velvet Scoter sighting in Bavarian Forest National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 167th most-seen of the 170 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and February
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Velvet Scoter in Bavarian Forest National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March to December, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Velvet Scoter sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Velvet Scoter sightings, Bavarian Forest National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Wadden Sea National Park (Germany, under 5%).
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Velvet Scoter that you can see in Bavarian Forest National Park (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Mallard (about 50%), Greylag Goose (about 40%) and Mute Swan (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Velvet Scoter is recorded against all the birds logged in Bavarian Forest National Park (5 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.
