[CT Birds] Common/Black Scoters ??

[greg hanisek]

Mark was being a little mischievous here (hard to believe I know) but it's a nice little piece of information. This bird has been called both Common and Black Scoter in North America. I think if you go to older field guides, such as a 1970s Golden Guide, Common Scoter will be the name used. However, current usage prefers (as Mark notes) Black Scoter for the North American race (which also occurs in northeastern Siberia, close to Alaska) and Common Scoter for the race found in Europe and (I believe) western Asia. 
   
  The males are markedly different, although North America field guides generally don't illustrate Common Scoter (Melanitta nigra nigra). Male Black Scoter (Melanitta nigra americana) has the familar big orange-yellow bulb at the base of the bill, but Common Scoter has a mostly black bill with a black knob and a much more restricted area of orange-yellow in the center. There are some records of Black Scoter from western Europe, but I'm not sure if there are any North American records of Common Scoter. A male would be a great find on our side of the pond.
   
  The British in general usually are a few steps ahead of us in sorting out slight racial differences, as anyone who checks out the ID-Frontiers listserve or Web sites such as Surfbirds knows from recent discussions about possible North American Black-crowned  Night Herons and Great (White) Egrets in the UK and Europe. Not to mention of course American Herring Gulls and kumlieni Iceland Gulls.
   
  Greg Hanisek
  Waterbury

Mark Szantyr <birddog55 at Charter.net> wrote:
  Because I want to remain consistent in my rantings about keeping the record 
clean, Paul, were these the European "Common Scoter", Melanitta nigra nigra 
or the North American "Black Scoter", Melanitta nigra americana?

Males are seperable in the field ....Thanks for humoring me.

Mark
Mark S.Szantyr
80 Bicknell Road
Apt. 9
Ashford, CT 06278
USA

Birddog55 at Charter.net
860-487-9766
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Carrier Graphics" 
To: 
Sent: Friday, March 21, 2008 9:54 PM
Subject: [CT Birds] Common Scoters


> Had 4 COMMON SCOTERS in the newly opened waters of Nepaug reservoir 
> today!
>
> Thank you ice God for giving us inlanders some open water to attract some 
> ducks with....... Bout time!
>
> Now if only you lowlanders will find it in your hearts to send us up some 
> of the ducks you have had there all winter, and let them know
> WE have OPEN WATER once again in the North Country here in CT!
>
> Thanks in advance...
>
> Paul Carrier
>
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