338 BAY, SEA OR DIVING DUCKS 



American Scoter 



Oidemia americana 

 (ee-de-mi-a, a-mer-i-kan-a) 



Colour Plate No. 26. Juvenile No. 27. Downy Young No. 35. 



SCIENTIFIC NAME 



Oidemia, from Greek, oidema. or Latin oedema, meaning a swelling (refer- 

 ring to the enlargement at base of bill); americana, Latinized form, meaning of 

 America. 



COLLOQUIAL NAMES 



IN GENERAL USE: Coot. IN LOCAL USE: Bay muscovie; beach-comber; beetle- 

 head; black coot; black duck; booby; booby duck (juvenile); broad-billed coot; 

 brown coot (the female and immature); butter-bill; butter-billed coot; butter- 

 ^^^^ nose; copperbill; coppernose; deaf duck; fitzy; fizzy; 



^gtf| B&^ gibier noir (black fowl); gray coot; hollow-billed coot; 



^SU g& Indian duck; iron pot; little grey coot (female and 



^H |& immature); macreuse (the specific French name for 



JH scoter, traceable to an old word meaning spotted); 



|p^^rtfe^^ n igg er duck; niggerhead; old iron pot; petit noir (little 

 ^^^^^^ black); punkin-blossom coot; rock coot; scooter; scutter 



duck; sea coot; siwash duck; squaw duck; smutty; 

 smutty coot (female and immature) tar bucket; tar 

 pot; whistling coot; whistling duck; yellow-billed coot; yellow-nosed coot. 



DESCRIPTION 



ADULT MALE. WINTER PLUMAGE: Head and neck, entirely black; feathers 

 of cheeks and neck, pointed at tips and somewhat crimped in appearance; bill. 

 blackish, with orange-yellow protuberance back of nostril; nostril slightly ahead of 

 middle of bill; nail, fused, occupying entire tip of bill, which is decurved; feather- 

 ing at base of upper mandible ends square across and is not extended along 



ridge as in other scoters; eye, dark brown. Body, Tail 

 and Wings, entirely black, less glossy on underparts; 

 first primary feather (see Glossary) deeply emargi- 

 nate; under-surface of primaries shows silvery sheen; 

 wing-lining, brownish black and silvery grey; axillars, 

 brownish black; feet, brownish black, with dusky 

 webs. 



ECLIPSE PLUMAGE: There is no eclipse plumage. 



Above, first primary feather Instead there is a partial prenuptial moult in March 

 of adult male. Beloiv, of and April, involving the body-feathers and tail, and 

 adult female and juveniles. a complete postnuptial moult in August and Sep- 

 tember, during which the flight-feathers are shed 

 and the birds are incapable of flight until these are renewed. 



AUTUMN PLUMAGE: Same as winter plumage. 



ADULT FEMALE. Head. Crown, dark dusky brown; cheek, chin, throat and 

 foreneck, pale grey, finely barred and spotted with dusky; hindneck, dark dusky 



