ODNR Division of Wildlife - A to Z Species Guide - White-winged Scoter

 White-winged Scoter


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Diving ducks frequent large, deep lakes and rivers, as well as coastal bays and inlets. When launching into flight, most of this group patter along the water before becoming airborne. They feed by diving, often to considerable depths. Since their wings are smaller in proportion to the size and weight of their bodies, they have a more rapid wingbeat than puddle ducks.

Until fairly recently, this was the most frequent scoter in Ohio; now it is the scarcest. Rather than a decline in this species, changes in scoter status may reflect an increase in the other two species due to changing ecological conditions in Lake Erie.


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White-winged Scoter
Melanitta fusca 

At-a-Glance

• Type: Diving duck

• Incubation: 25-30 days

• Clutch Size: 7-10 eggs

• Young Fledge: 63-75 days after hatching

• Typical Foods: aquatic invertebrates, fish, and plant matter

Description
White-winged scoters are easily told from the other scoter species by their white wing speculums. The male is black with white crescents around the eyes and the female is brown with white spots on the face.

Habitat and Habits
The preferred habitat of white-winged scoters is deep, open water. Their vocalizations are a low, harsh rolling kraak, kraak, kraak, but they are mostly silent when away from breeding grounds.

Reproduction and Care of the Young
Breeding takes place on large lakes in Canada and Alaska. Nests are hollows in the ground either near water or on a small island.