Stejneger's scoter
Stejneger's scoter | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Anseriformes |
Family: | Anatidae |
Genus: | Melanitta |
Species: | M. stejnegeri
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Binomial name | |
Melanitta stejnegeri (Ridgway, 1887)
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Stejneger's scoter (Melanitta stejnegeri), also known as the Siberian scoter, is a large
Taxonomy
Stejneger's scoter was described by the American ornithologist
It was formerly considered to be
Description
There are a number of differing characteristics of Stejneger's scoter and the white-winged scoter. Males of the white-winged scoter have browner flanks, dark yellow coloration of most of the bill and a less tall bill knob, approaching the velvet scoter. The male Stejneger's scoter has a very tall knob at the base of its mostly orange-yellow bill. The males of both species are very similar and best distinguished by head shape; White-winged scoters tend to have "two-stepped" profile between the bill and the head, compared to the long "Roman nose" profile of Stejneger's scoter similar to that of a common eider.[5] Additionally, the feathering along the base of the upper mandible forms a right angle on the white-winged scoter, compared to the acute angle on the Stejneger's scoter.[6]
Distribution
Stejneger's scoter breeds over the far north of
Though previously considered rare in North America, Stejneger's scoter may be a regular visitor and possible breeder in Western Alaska, with sightings in
Behaviour and ecology
Feeding
In freshwater, this species primarily feeds on
References
- . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ Ridgway, Robert (1887). A Manual of North American Birds. Philadelphia: Lippincott. p. 112.
- ^ Jobling, J.A. (2019). del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). "stejnegeri". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive: Key to Scientific Names in Ornithology. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
- ^ "Siberian Scoter (Melanitta stejnegeri)".
- ^ a b Martin Garner (2014). "Velvet, White-winged and Stejneger's Scoters: A Photographic Guide" (PDF). Birdwatch. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
- )
- S2CID 225352840.
- ^ "White-winged scoter taxonomy". Birding Frontiers. 17 June 2011. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
- ^ Keith Gillon (5 February 2023). "Rarity finders: Stejneger's Scoter in Lothian". Birdguides. Retrieved 14 August 2023.