Black Scoter (Melanitta nigra), Lake Pleasant, Maricopa County

This Black Scoter was found and photographed by Marceline VandeWater on 23 January 2020

Casual late fall through winter visitor to Arizona, particularly along the lower Colorado River. With more than 30 accepted records this species was removed as an ABC review species in 2020.

The large, completely orange-yellow knob on the bill of this otherwise all black duck makes this unmistakably a male Black Scoter. Male Common Scoters have much less yellow on the bill.

23 January 2020, photo by Marceline VandeWater

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