Surf Scoter

Scientific Name: Melanitta perspicillata

The Surf Scoter drake is all black except for white patches on the back of the neck and the forehead. Most distinctive is its multi-colored bill which is red, white and yellow with a large black spot on the side. Hens have a dark brown head and body, whitish patches at the base of the bill and behind the eye. Surf Scoters breed in Alaska and across northern Canada. They overwinter along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts feeding in the surf. (source: Flyways.us)