Bird of the Week – White-winged Scoter

This week we’ll look at another Scoter, that slightly obscure clade of ducks that breed in Alaska. This week, the White-winged Scoter.

White-winged Scoter, Steese Highway

The drake White-winged is easily identified by the lovely white line under their eye, the orange bill with a black knob, all against an overall dark body. The white wing of their name are sometimes not visible when they are on the water. In flight, however, it’s another excellent field mark.

White-winged Scoter, Steese Highway

Of the North America’s three species of scoters (White-winged, Surf, and Black Scoter), all of which inhabit Holarctic waters, the White-winged Scoter is the largest and best known, in part because its nests are the most accessible. This species nests on freshwater lakes and wetlands in Alaska and northwestern Canada and winters along the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts. It’s known in Europe as the Velvet Scoter, in reference to the male’s rich black plumage.

Camera geek stuff: f8, 1/640, ISO250.

For more bird photos, please visit Frozen Feather Images.

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