Black scoter
Melanitta americana (Swainson, 1832)
The black scoter (Melanitta americana) is a species in the family Anatidae, order Anseriformes. Recorded adults weigh 987 g to 1.12 kg and live up to 16.8 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Near Threatened.
Quick facts about the black scoter
- Weight
- 987 g – 1.12 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 16.8 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 17.9 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- wetlandsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 28.4 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 8.5src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 2 years – 2.24 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Aquaticsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Near Threatened (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the black scoter live?
Not recorded
What is the black scoter?
The black scoter or American scoter (Melanitta americana) is a large sea duck, 43 to 49 cm (17 to 19 in) in length. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek melas "black" and netta "duck". The species name is from the Latin for "American".
Together with the common scoter M. nigra, it forms the subgenus Oidemia; the two are sometimes considered conspecific, the black scoter then being referred to as M. nigra americana. Its French name, used in parts of its Canadian range, is macreuse noire (also meaning "black scoter"). The species is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.
From the Wikipedia article “Black scoter” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Black_scoter&oldid=1356841228), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the black scoter endangered?
The black scoter is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List: it is close to qualifying as threatened.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Near Threatened species.
How is the black scoter classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderAnseriformes
- familyAnatidae
- genusMelanitta
- SpeciesMelanitta americana (Swainson, 1832)
Synonyms Melanitta nigra americana, Oedemia americana, Oidemia americana, Oidemia americana americana, Oidemia nigra americana
Other names and names in other languages (51)
- American scoterEnglish
- American scoterEnglish
- American scoter duckEnglish
- أسقطور أسودArabic
- أسقطور أمريكيArabic
- بط أسقطور أسودArabic
- بط أسقطور أمريكيArabic
- Amerika qılquyruğuAzerbaijani
- Черна потапницаBulgarian
- Американска траурна потапницаBulgarian
- ànec negre americàCatalan
- turpan žlutozobýCzech
- Amerikansk sortandDanish
- SortandDanish
- PazifiktrauerenteGerman
- Amerikanische TrauerenteGerman
- Pazifische TrauerenteGerman
- amerika maranasoEsperanto
- Negreta negraSpanish
- Negreta Pico AmarilloSpanish
- Negrón americanoSpanish
- ida-mustvaerasEstonian
- amerikanmustalintuFinnish
- Macreuse à bec jauneFrench
- Scótar dubhIrish
- Scótar MeiriceánachIrish
- Mourelo de bico amareloGalician
- קטיפנית אמריקניתHebrew
- američka crna patkaCroatian
- nyerges réceHungarian
- KrummöndIcelandic
- Orchetto marino americanoItalian
- クロガモJapanese
- 검둥오리Korean
- amerikinė juodoji antisLithuanian
- Amerikas melnā pīleLatvian
- Amerikaanse zee-eendDutch
- amerikasvartandNorwegian
- markaczka amerykańskaPolish
- negrola-americanaPortuguese
- Американская синьгаRussian
- Тихоокеанская синьгаRussian
- Америка буор атах андытаYakut
- turpan americkýSlovak
- Američki crni turpanSerbian
- Amerikansk sjöorreSwedish
- Amerika Kara ÖrdeğiTurkish
- синьга американськаUkrainian
- Vịt Scoter đenVietnamese
- 黑海番鸭Chinese
- 美洲黑海番鴨Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the black scoter
Other species in the same genus Melanitta.
Velvet scoter
Melanitta fusca
Common scoter
Melanitta nigra
Surf scoter
Melanitta perspicillata
White-winged scoter
Melanitta deglandi
Stejneger's scoter
Melanitta stejnegeri
CompareBlack scoter vs Velvet scoterBlack scoter vs Common scoterBlack scoter vs Surf scoterBlack scoter vs White-winged scoter
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the black scoter?
An adult black scoter weighs 987 g – 1.12 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the black scoter endangered?
The black scoter is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is close to qualifying as threatened.
How long does the black scoter live?
The black scoter has a recorded lifespan of 16.8 years.
What kind of animal is the black scoter?
The black scoter (Melanitta americana) belongs to the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Black scoter (Melanitta americana). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-scoter
“Black scoter (Melanitta americana).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-scoter.
@misc{black_scoter_2026,
title = {Black scoter (Melanitta americana)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/black-scoter},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}