Velvet scoter

The velvet scoter (Melanitta fusca) is a sea-duck that does not breed in the United Kingdom but is a winter visitor to the east coast of Scotland and some parts of England, notably Norfolk and the north-east. In Europe it is found in Scandinavia and Russia, and it is also resident in North America. It winters on European coasts around the North and Baltic Sea, and also in the Black Sea. 

During winter it can also be found on inland water such as lakes, ponds and river estuaries.

The velvet scoter has amber status in terms of its vulnerability as a species. This is because of the dangers posed by oil spills and forms of pollution, and fluctuations in food supplies.


Appearance

It is a large, thickset duck with a long bill, thick neck, red legs and short, pointed tail. It measures some 55 centimetres (22 inches) in length. Male velvet scoters have plumage that is almost entirely black, except for a small white patch around the eye and white wing patches that are seen most clearly when the bird is in flight or flapping its wings when on the water. Female velvet scoters are brown; they lack the white eye patches but instead have two lighter patches on the side of the head below the level of the eye, one just to the front and the other just behind.


Behaviour

Like its cousin the common scoter, the velvet scoter is a strong flyer, often low over the sea in snaking lines, its wings whistling as they beat rapidly. It swims less buoyantly than the common scoter and is less adept at rising from the surface. It spends much of its time resting on sand-banks.

Velvet scoters are silent for much of the time, but male birds have a whistling call and the females make harsh, rasping noises.


The diet comprises small crustaceans, molluscs, larvae, small fish, crabs and aquatic vegetation. Adult velvet scoters dive for their food, at depths of two to five metres.

Velvet scoters are often seen in small groups or in association with larger flocks of common scoters.


Breeding

Velvet scoters have already paired when they arrive at their breeding grounds in April or early May. They nest along the shore on or islands. In northern latitudes they may nest next to inland lakes. The nest is hidden in long grass, under a bush or among rocks. It consists of a depression in the ground lined with leaves, grass and sometimes pine needles, and a thick layer of down.

The clutch of eggs, laid around the end of May or the beginning of June, can be anything from six to fourteen in number, which the female incubates on her own for up to 30 days. Once hatched, the ducklings stay close to their mother for some time.

© John Welford