CreatureData

Surf scoter

Melanitta perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758)

LCLeast Concernwaterfowl

The surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) is a species in the family Anatidae, order Anseriformes. Recorded adults weigh 900 g to 1.1 kg and live up to 9.5 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata)
Photo: Alan D. Wilson · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the surf scoter

Weight
900 g – 1.1 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Wingspan
76 cm – 92 cmsrc for Wingspan
Lifespan
9.5 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
wetlandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
6.3 – 6.65src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
2 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
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the surf scoter?

SURF SCOTER · WINGSPAN 92 CMADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 92 cm, the recorded maximum wingspan of the surf scoter is about 54% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Where does the surf scoter live?

Not recorded

What is the surf scoter?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) is a large sea duck native to North America. Adult males are almost entirely black with characteristic white patches on the forehead and the nape and adult females are slightly smaller and browner. Surf scoters breed in Northern Canada and Alaska and winter along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America. They are diving ducks and mainly feed on benthic invertebrates, mussels representing an important part of their diet.

From the Wikipedia article “Surf scoter” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Surf_scoter&oldid=1380251349), 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 surf scoter endangered?

The surf scoter is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the surf scoter classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderAnseriformes
  5. familyAnatidae
  6. genusMelanitta
  7. SpeciesMelanitta perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms Anas perspicillata, Fuligula perspicillata, Oedemia perspicillata, Oedemia perspicillata trowbridgii, Oidemia perspicillata, Oidemia trowbridgii, Pelionetta perspicillata, Pelionetta trowbridgii

Other names and names in other languages (54)
  • Surf duckEnglish
  • أسقطور مركمجArabic
  • أسقطور راكب الأمواجArabic
  • بط أسقطور راكب الأمواجArabic
  • Aneda marina americanaAragonese
  • Черна потапницаBulgarian
  • Черна американска потапницаBulgarian
  • Duanenn vailhBreton
  • ànec negre frontblancCatalan
  • turpan pestrozobýCzech
  • môr-hwyaden ewynWelsh
  • môr-hwyaden yr ewynWelsh
  • Môr-Hwyaid yr EwynWelsh
  • brilleandDanish
  • BrillenenteGerman
  • okulvitra maranasoEsperanto
  • Negrón caretoSpanish
  • Negreta nuca blancaSpanish
  • Negrón costeroSpanish
  • prillvaerasEstonian
  • Ahatebeltz kopetazuriBasque
  • pilkkaniskaFinnish
  • Nakkahvít kolontFaroese
  • Macreuse à lunettesFrench
  • Macreuse à front blancFrench
  • Scótar toinneIrish
  • Pentumeiro caretoGalician
  • Thunnag y tonnManx
  • קטיפנית משבריםHebrew
  • lisasta patkaCroatian
  • pápaszemes réceHungarian
  • KráköndIcelandic
  • Orco marino dagli occhialiItalian
  • アラナミキンクロJapanese
  • ჭრელნისკარტა გარიელიGeorgian
  • 흰이마검둥오리Korean
  • baltakaktė nuodėgulėLithuanian
  • q̓ʷalxʷlut
  • bangu pīleLatvian
  • brilzee-eendDutch
  • uhla pstrodziobaPolish
  • Pato-caretoPortuguese
  • negrola-de-lunetasPortuguese
  • пестроносый турпанRussian
  • DielkoskoarraNorthern Sami
  • turpan okuliarnatýSlovak
  • očalarkaSlovenian
  • Lisasti turpanSerbian
  • vitnackad svärtaSwedish
  • Yamalı ÖrdekTurkish
  • sörfçü kara ördekTurkish
  • турпан білолобийUkrainian
  • 斑头海番鸭Chinese
  • 斑頭海番鴨Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the surf scoter

Other species in the same genus Melanitta.

CompareSurf scoter vs Velvet scoterSurf scoter vs Common scoterSurf scoter vs Black scoterSurf scoter vs White-winged scoter

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the surf scoter?

An adult surf scoter weighs 900 g – 1.1 kg and has a wingspan of 76 cm – 92 cm, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the surf scoter endangered?

The surf scoter is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the surf scoter live?

The surf scoter has a recorded lifespan of 9.5 years.

What kind of animal is the surf scoter?

The surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) 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.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/surf-scoter

MLA

“Surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/surf-scoter.

BibTeX
@misc{surf_scoter_2026,
  title = {Surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/surf-scoter},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}