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Characteristics and Range The Surf Scoter is midway in size between White-winged and Black Scoters. It lacks the white wing-patches of the White-winged Scoter, but males in breeding plumage have two white patches on the head and a multi-coloured bill in red, orange, white and black. Females and young birds look very similar to White-winged Scoters, but can be distinguished by subtle differences in head and bill shape and head pattern. The Surf Scoter is a North American species, breeding in the northern boreal forest from Alaska to Labrador and wintering near shore along the Pacific coast from Alaska south to Baja California and on the Atlantic side from Nova Scotia to the Gulf of Mexico (Anderson et al. 2015). It is a regular migrant in small numbers in southern Manitoba, primarily in fall; with the decline of the White-winged Scoter, it has become the most commonly observed migrant scoter in recent years.

Distribution, Abundance, and Habitat The core distribution of the Surf Scoter in Manitoba is very similar to that of the White-winged Scoter, but whereas the latter species was found sparingly in the central part of the province, the southernmost atlas records of the Surf Scoter were at 56.8°N. Four squares at and near Lynn Lake were a considerable distance south and west from the remainder of the occupied squares; interestingly, the only confirmed record came from here. Surf Scoters were recorded in 12% of squares in the Taiga Shield & Hudson Plains, but overall abundance was low, with marginal occurrence in neighbouring BCRs. As is the case with other scoters, breeding of Surf Scoters is difficult to confirm, as they are late nesters in some of the most remote areas of the province. Few nests have been described anywhere; those that were found tended to be well inland from the edge of freshwater lakes, and were concealed by vegetation, logs or rock outcroppings (Anderson et al. 2015).

Trends, Conservation, and Recommendations Continental numbers of the three scoter species combined point to a decline of 40 - 80% during the past 60 years, although the declines appear to have stabilized since the 1990s. Reasons for the decline are essentially unknown (Anderson et al. 2015), although there is some evidence of elevated levels of cadmium and selenium (consequences unknown) and vulnerability due to flightlessness during moult that probably coincides with the beginning of northern hunting seasons (Baldassarre 2014). Continued research and monitoring of all scoter species is recommended.

Rudolf Koes

Recommended citation: Koes, R. F. 2018. Surf Scoter in Artuso, C., A. R. Couturier, K. D. De Smet, R. F. Koes, D. Lepage, J. McCracken, R. D. Mooi, and P. Taylor (eds.). The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Manitoba, 2010-2014. Bird Studies Canada. Winnipeg, Manitoba http://www.birdatlas.mb.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=SUSC&lang=en [06 Dec 2024]