Black Scoter (Melanitta nigra), Lake Havasu, Thompson Bay, Mohave County

This female Black Scoter was discovered by Lauren Harter on 27 November 2012 and photographed by John West on 11 December 2012. 

The rarest of the three scoter species in Arizona with about 10 accepted records for the state. Most records are of female plumaged birds. The most recent AOU checklist split Black Scoter (Melanitta nigra) into two species. The species in North America and eastern Siberia is now called Black Scoter (Melanitta americana) and the species of Europe and the rest of Asia is called Common Scoter (Melanitta nigra). There are no records of Common Scoter in North America.

Dark cap with a contrasting pale cheek patch identifies this scoter.

11 December 2012, photo by John West

All photos are copyrighted© by photographer