Melanitta nigra
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The common scoter (Melanitta nigra) is a large sea duck, 43–54 cm (17–21 in) in length, which breeds over the far north of Europe and the Palearctic east to the Olenyok River. The black scoter (M. americana) of North America and eastern Siberia was formerly considered to be a subspecies.
The common 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 nigra. Linnaeus specified the type locality as Lapland, England. The common 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 common scoter was formerly considered to be conspecific with the black scoter (Melanitta americana) but the two taxa are now treated as separate species. The common scoter is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
The common scoter is characterised by its bulky shape and large bill. The male is all black with a bulbous bill which shows some yellow coloration around the nostrils. The female is a brown bird with... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | Svalbard | 🇳🇴 Norway | |
| 4 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Dublin | 🇮🇪 Ireland | |
| 3 | Minsk | 🇧🇾 Belarus | |
| 4 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Porto | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 6 | Rotterdam [The Hague] | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 7 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 8 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 9 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 10 | Prague | 🇨🇿 Czechia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santillana Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Scoter sighting in Snowdonia National Park on a given day, based on 71 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 104th most-seen of the 164 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Common Scoter in Snowdonia National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January and April–September, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common 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.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Common Scoter sightings, Snowdonia National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Wadden Sea National Park (Germany, about 10%).
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Common Scoter that you can see in Snowdonia National Park (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Mallard (about 60%), Canada Goose (about 50%) and Mute Swan (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Scoter is recorded against all the birds logged in Snowdonia National Park (71 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.
