---
title: "Surf Scoter"
description: "Melanitta perspicillata — Birds. The surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) is a large sea duck native to North America."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/surf-scoter
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Surf Scoter

> Melanitta perspicillata — Birds. The surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) is a large sea duck native to North America.

- Scientific name: *Melanitta perspicillata*
- Category: `birds` (Birds)
- Habitats: `sea` (Sea & coast)
- iNaturalist observations: 30835
- Wikidata: [Q742468](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q742468)
- iNaturalist taxon: [7036](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/7036)

## Names

- en: Surf Scoter
- de: Brillenente
- es: Negreta nuca blanca
- fr: Macreuse à front blanc
- nl: Brilzee-eend
- pt: Pato-careto
- pl: Uhla pstrodzioba

## Countries with the most observations

US (23355), CA (5297), MX (325), GB (38), CH (16), PT (13), FR (11), ES (9), FI (3), NO (3), SE (3), SV (3)

## Summary

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.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surf_scoter

## Photo

![Surf Scoter](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/surf-scoter/medium.jpg)

Photo: North Ross · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/363268273

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/surf-scoter?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).