# Common scoter (*Melanitta nigra*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-scoter  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The common scoter (Melanitta nigra), also called the black scoter, is a waterfowl species in the family Anatidae and order Anseriformes. It is a medium-sized bird with an adult body mass of 1.05 kg, ranging from 987 g to 1.108 kg, and a wingspan of 85 cm. A migratory, aquatic carnivore of wetland habitats, it is classed as an aquatic predator and has a geographic range of 4,515,000 km². It lays one clutch per year of 8.5 eggs, incubated for 28.4 days, and is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 987 g – 1.11 kg |
| Length | 43 cm – 54 cm |
| Wingspan | 85 cm |
| Lifespan | 16.8 years |
| Diet | Aquatic predator |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 17.9 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | wetland |
| Egg incubation | 28.4 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 6.9 – 8.5 |
| Age at maturity | 2 years – 2.24 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Lifestyle | Aquatic |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Anseriformes
- family: Anatidae
- genus: Melanitta
- species: *Melanitta nigra* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Anas atra*, *Anas nigra*, *Fuligula nigra*, *Melanitta gibbera*, *Melanitta nigra nigra*, *Melanitta nigripes*, *Oedemia nigra*, *Oidemia leucocephala*, *Oidemia nigra*, *Oidemia nigra nigra*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the common scoter?

The common scoter is a bird, a waterfowl species in the family Anatidae of the order Anseriformes.

### How heavy is the common scoter?

An adult common scoter weighs 1.05 kg, with reported values from 987 g to 1.108 kg.

### What does the common scoter eat?

The common scoter is an aquatic predator and a carnivore.

### What habitat does the common scoter live in?

The common scoter lives in wetland habitats and has an aquatic lifestyle.

### Is the common scoter endangered?

No. The common scoter is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does the common scoter live?

The common scoter has a lifespan of 16.77 years, with values up to 17.92 years reported.

### How many eggs does the common scoter lay?

The common scoter lays 8.5 eggs per clutch and one clutch per year, with an incubation period of 28.4 days.

### Who named the common scoter?

The common scoter, Melanitta nigra, was named by (Linnaeus, 1758).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), 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](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), 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](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Common scoter (Melanitta nigra). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-scoter