Surf Scoter
Melanitta perspicillata
Drawn from a named source but not independently confirmed. Double-check before relying on it.
Identification/habitat facts drawn from Cornell's All About Birds and Birdfact via live search synthesis. `foodUseStatus` set to eat-with-caution reflecting general guidance that mollusk-diet sea ducks commonly have a stronger, more distinctive flavor than dabbling ducks.
Legal status: A legal migratory game bird, hunted during Virginia's regular duck season (not a separate sea-duck season) under a combined sub-limit shared across all three scoter species — DWR's own page: "4 total sea ducks (no more than 3 scoters, 3 eiders [only 1 hen], 3 long-tailed ducks)" — see the seeded ducks-2026-2027 HuntingSeason record. The 3-scoter cap is combined across surf/black/white-winged scoter, not 3 of each — verify current limits directly with DWR before hunting.
A chunky, all-dark sea duck with a boldly colored bill and white head patches — the most distinctive of Virginia's three regularly-occurring scoter species at close range.
Field marks
- Entirely dark wings both above and below (unlike white-winged scoter's bold white wing patch) — the key mark for separating these two species at a distance.
- Heavy, broad, multicolored bill with orange, white, and black patterning on the male.
- White patches at the nape, forecrown, and base of the bill on the male — unmistakable at close range.
Male, female, and seasonal plumage
- Male
- Jet black overall with the colorful bill and white head patches described above.
- Female
- Dark brown with a dark gray bill and typically two white face patches.
- Habitat
- Protected coastal bays, estuaries, and nearshore ocean — winters from Newfoundland south to Virginia on the Atlantic coast.
- Feeding behavior
- Dives for mussels and other mollusks; gathers in large rafts over mussel beds and herring-spawning areas in winter.
Conservation context
Wintering areas face ongoing pressure from coastal pollution and habitat degradation, per Cornell's own species account.
Similar species — check before you shoot
Identification alone never establishes that a bird may legally be taken. Confirm species (and sex, where a sub-limit depends on it) before shooting.
This page is educational and does not certify that any specific bird may be legally taken at any specific time or place. Always confirm the current season, bag limit, and permit requirements at Licensing & Regulations →