American White-Winged Scoter vs Common Scoter

Melanitta deglandi compared with Melanitta nigra

Key Differences

• American White-Winged Scoter is Not Evaluated while Common Scoter is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	American White-Winged Scoter	Common Scoter
Kingdom same	Animalia (प्राणी)	Animalia (प्राणी)
Phylum same	Chordata (रज्जुकी)	Chordata (रज्जुकी)
Class same	Aves (पक्षी)	Aves (पक्षी)
Order same	Anseriformes (ऐन्सरीफोर्मीस)	Anseriformes (ऐन्सरीफोर्मीस)
Family same	Anatidae	Anatidae
Genus same	Melanitta	Melanitta
Species	Melanitta deglandi	Melanitta nigra

Evolutionary Relationship

American White-Winged Scoter and Common Scoter share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Melanitta.

Conservation Status

American White-Winged Scoter

NE — Not Evaluated

Common Scoter

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	American White-Winged Scoter	Common Scoter
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

American White-Winged Scoter

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States.

Common Scoter

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States.

American White-Winged Scoter

The American White-Winged Scoter (Melanitta deglandi) is a species in the genus Melanitta. Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Common Scoter

<em>Melanitta nigra</em>, the common scoter, is a sea duck in the family Anatidae, order Anseriformes, breeding across subarctic and boreal regions of Europe and northeastern North America. This species winters primarily along coastal marine environments, with records from Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and the United States reflecting both breeding and wintering distributions. The common scoter typically nests near freshwater lakes and bogs in boreal and tundra habitats, migrating to sheltered coastal bays and estuaries during winter where it dives for bivalves, crustaceans, and other benthic invertebrates. Males are predominantly black with a characteristic orange-yellow knob at the base of the bill, while females are brown with pale cheek patches. <em>Melanitta nigra</em> is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, though populations have experienced declines in some regions due to changes in wintering habitat quality and food availability. Biological traits for this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature, including comprehensive data on average lifespan, body length, weight, and full dietary composition across seasons.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States