Black Scoter (Melanitta nigra), Lake Pleasant, Maricopa AZ, Maricopa County

This Black Scoter was photographed by Mary McSparen on 23 January 2021.

This Black Scoter was found in a raft of Common Goldenyes. Black Scoter is a casual to rare winter visitor to Arizona, with numbers of records along the Colorado River, as well as on large lakes in the state, increasing in recent years.

This individual looks a little atypical, lacking the all white sides of the face and cheek, but the less sloping bill, and rounded head indicate that it is a Black Scoter.

23 January 2021, photo by Mary McSparen