Common Scoter

Common Scoter (Melanitta nigra) is a sturdy sea duck; males are wholly black with a yellow bill patch and females are dark brown with pale cheeks. The combination of body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provides the most useful field characters. Age, sex and season can alter its appearance, so identification should use several features rather than colour alone. This supports comparison with similar species in the field (Wikipedia, general species account).

It breeds beside northern lakes and winters in marine flocks, diving mainly for molluscs and crustaceans. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds more likely to gather where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant, visitor or introduced bird (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).