Description
The Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) is a large North American sea duck native to North America. The male is completely black except for white patches on the forehead and the back of the neck. It has a large orange and white bill and a yellow eye. The female is uniformly brown and has a paler yellow eye. The surf scoter dives for crustaceans and mollusks. Mussels are an important part of their diet. Surf scoters breed in Northern Canada and Alaska and winter along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. This male surf scoter was photographed swimming in Puget Sound near Vashon Island, Washington State, USA.
