Surf Scooter

Description: Drakes are mostly black with a colorful bill that can be red-orange, black, and white. The bill has a distinctive hump above the nostrils. It has a white patch on its sloping forehead, white eyes, and a white patch on the back of its head. The hen is grayish-brown with a white belly, a white patch below the eyes, and a gray-and-black bill. Both drakes and hens have orange legs and feet. Drakes are slightly larger than hens. Average size: 17-21 inches. Average weight: 1 ½- 2 ½ pounds.

Science: Surf scoters breed in Alaska and across northern Canada. Found around rivers, lakes, and ponds in lightly wooded areas and tundra, they migrate in late September in very large flocks that mix with other scoters. They winter along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Baja and on most of the Atlantic coast, the Great Lakes, and parts of the Gulf Coast. They can be found on the open ocean, large bays, and lakes, where they eat mollusks, crustaceans, insects, and some aquatic plants. Their name comes from their habit of feeding along the surf line. The population of this silent bird is thought to be stable, though this is difficult to determine.

Hunting: Like the white-winged scoter, surf scoters are hunted in traditional sea duck fashion. The technique involves stringing long lines of decoys to draw birds closer to the boat or blind. The eating quality is poor: the meat is very dark and strong-tasting.