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|RINGED
SEAL| |HARBOR SEAL| |ELEPHANT
SEAL| |WHITE-WINGED SCOTER|
|SURF SCOTER| |PACIFIC
HALIBUT| |BLACK BEAR|
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FACT SHEET AS PDF
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WHITE WINGED SCOTER
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WHITE WINGED
SCOTERS CURRENTLY BEING TRACKED:
NONE.
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WHITE WINGED SCOTER TAXONOMY
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| Kingdom: |
Animalia |
Anima
= soul, spirit |
| Phylum: |
Chordata |
Chord
= a string, musical instrument. Chordata = having
a notocord or “back-string”. |
| Class: |
Aves |
Aves
= a bird |
| Sub-class: |
Neornithes |
Neo =
new, recent, young. |
| Order: |
Anseriformes |
Anseri
– of or pertaining to geese. Form – shape, figure,
appearance, nature. |
| Family: |
Anatidae |
Anati
= pertaining to a duck. Idae = added to stems of
generic names to form family names. |
| Genus: |
Melanitta |
Mela
= black, blackness, clothed in black. |
| Species: |
fucus |
Fucus
= a kind of rock-lichen from which was extracted a
red dye. |
| Range |
Spend
most of the year in coastal marine waters. Migrate
inland to nest and raise young. Nest on freshwater
lakes and boreal forests of interior Alaska and western
Canada. Winter in bays and estuaries along the Pacific
and Atlantic coast. Alaska to southern California
and Labrador to Texas. They occur in Alaska year
round. |
| Predators |
Predators
may include Eagles, Perigrine Falcons, fox, and rats.
Predators target injured adults, unattended eggs and
chicks. |
| Prey |
Feeding
along the coast consists in winter of feeding on the
bottom in intertidal and sub-tidal zones. Reported
at depths up to 60ft (20m), but generally dive to
depths less than 15ft (5m) Feed on blue mussels, clams,
snails and crusteceans. At fresh water breeding sites
primarily feed on insect larvae and amphipods. In
Alaska during the spring they feed on roe deposited
by spawning Pacific herring. |
| Size |
Largest
of the three species of Scoters. Males on average
weigh 1.6kg (3.5pd) females are slightly smaller,
average 1.4kg (3pds). |
| Life
Span |
Very
little is known about the life span. |
| Reproduction |
Sea ducks
such as White-winged Scoters do not breed until they
are at least two years old. Some may even forgo nesting.
Females incubate and rear young; males do not assist
with rearing the young. White-winged Scoters are
considered late nesters. Begin nesting in mid-June.
Females are filopatric – return to nest near the area
where they were hatched. |
| Seasonal
Change |
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| Morphology
And Function |
Males
have an elongated white crescent extending behind
and below the pale blue eye. They also have white
speculum or wing patches on both wings. Females are
predominantly brown, with one or two facial patches
and white speculum / patches on their wings. |
| Unique
Facts |
Much still needs to be learned about the life history
and ecology of this species in order to improve
our efforts to conserve this wildlife resource.
Surf Scoters are virtually unstudied. Molting
areas, migration routes and wintering locations
are poorly known.
Name comes from their swimming habits. Always
found just beyond or in breaking waves.
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References:
Rosenberg, D.H. and M.P. Petrula.
1998. Scoter
Satellite Telemetry.
(http://www.state.ak.us/adfg/wildlife/duck/scoter/surf.htm)
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