Melanitta nigra
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
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 Svalbard on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 45th most-seen of the 48 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Scoter in Svalbard on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season. November to January have too few records to rate.
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.
3rd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Common Scoter sightings, Svalbard ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Wadden Sea National Park (Germany, about 10%) and Snowdonia National Park (United Kingdom, under 5%).
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Common Scoter that you can see in Svalbard (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Common Eider (about 90%), Barnacle Goose (about 70%) and Pink-footed Goose (about 50%), 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 Svalbard (7 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.
