SURF SCOTER 

 ( Melanitta persplcillata ) 



[DA: Brilleand, DU: Gebrilde Zee-eend , FI: Pilkkaniska, FR: Macreuse a lunettes, 

 GE: Brillenente, IT: Anitra del becco largo, NW : Brille-and, PO: Uhla amerykan- 

 ska, RU: (Spotty-nosed Scoter), SP: Negron careto, SW: Vitnackad svarta] 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION 



North America The Surf Scoter breeds from the Bristol Bay and Kotzebue 

 Sound region of western Alaska east to the area of the Mackenzie Delta and An- 

 derson River in northwestern Canada, south to northern British Columbia, Great 

 Bear and Great Slave lakes, and Lake Athabasca; it is also found in James Bay 

 and in the interior of Quebec and Labrador (AOU 1957, Palmer 1976b). 



Surf Scoters winter primarily along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of 

 North America. They occur on the Pacific coast from the Aleutian chain south 

 to the Gulf of California, and on the Atlantic coast from the Bay of Fundy 

 south to Florida (AOU 1957, Johnsgard 1978). These scoters also occur regular- 

 ly on the Great Lakes and sporadically inland throughout the western and cen- 

 tral United States. Small numbers also winter along at least the northern half 

 of the Gulf of Mexico. Surf Scoters are casual in Bermuda (AOU 1957) and Hawaii 

 (Palmer 1976b). 



World Distribution Surf Scoters breed and winter almost exclusively in 

 North America. They are casual winter visitors in Europe, where most records 

 are from Britain and Ireland. These scoters have also been reported from Ice- 

 land, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, the Faeroe Islands, the Netherlands, 

 Belgium, France, and Czechoslovakia (Cramp et al. 1977). Surf Scoters have 

 also occurred in the Komandorskiye Islands, on Bering Island, and on the Chukot 

 Peninsula (Dement'ev and Gladkov 1952). 



DISTRIBUTION IN THE COASTAL SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES 



North Carolina Surf Scoters are common winter visitors to coastal North 

 Carolina and occasionally occur there in large numbers. An estimated 18,000 

 were seen near Cape Hatteras, 10 January 1938 (Pearson et al. 1942), and as 

 many as 10,000 were off Pea Island, 30 October 1971 (Teulings 1972a). These 

 ducks are usually seen in smaller groups, however (Wray and Davis 1959). Pot- 

 ter et al. (1980) stated that the Surf Scoter is locally abundant off the Caro- 

 linas in October but is usually common to uncommon. The number present varies 

 from winter to winter and from place to place. The usual period of occurrence 

 along the coasts of the Carolinas is from October to May (Potter et al. 1980). 

 A few birds may remain along the coast into June (Teulings 1978) and one or two 

 are occasionally seen inland (Zapf 1945; Teulings 1971a, 1973a, 1977a). 



South Carolina Sprunt and Chamberlain (1949) regarded Surf Scoters as 

 fairly common winter residents that were more abundant in the past . Burton 



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