White-winged scoters are large and stocky birds, measuring about 1.6-2 feet in length (0.49-0.61 m) in length. They are among the largest of all ducks.
Males are all black, with a white, comma-shaped patch around each eye. Females may have whitish patches on the face and are a dark brown color. The male’s bill is black at the base with reddish sides and an orange nail. The female’s bill is similar in color but less bright.
Both males and females have red legs and a white stripe on their wings.
During the breeding season, white-winged scoters can be found in a variety of habitats. These include wooded coastlines, small freshwater lakes and rivers in northern coniferous forests, wooded arctic tundra, and alpine zones.
In the winter, white-winged scoters inhabit coastal waters, preferring estuaries and inlets with large mussel beds.
The white-winged scoter is a diving duck. It feeds on the bottom of lakes and oceans.
Its diet consists mostly of mollusks, such as clams and mussels. It will also eat crustaceans, worms, echinoderms, amphipods, isopods, and small fish.
In freshwater habitats, the white-winged scoter also feeds on adult and larval insects and plant material.
Breeding begins in mid-May. Females make a shallow depression in the ground for their nest. They prefer a site with tall grass, among hummocks, or under bushes. They line the nest with sticks and down. Nests are close to the water.
White-winged scoters lay 6-16 creamy buff or light pink eggs per female. Chicks hatch with downy feathers and their eyes open. They are precocial and leave the nest as soon as they’re dry and can feed themselves immediately.
White-winged scoters can live around 12 years in the wild.
The population of white-winged scoters on the Great Lakes is rising due to the growing population of the invasive zebra mussel.
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The white-winged scoter does not breed in New Hampshire, but it can be found in the state during its migration, and it winters in the coastal waters of the state.
The white-winged scoter has a wide range. Its summer breeding grounds extend from Alaska into Central Canada.
During migration, it can be found around the Great Lakes.
It spends its winters along the west and east coasts of North America.
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