NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
American Scoter
Melanitta americana (Swainson, 1832)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Black Scoter From The Crossley ID Guide Eastern Birds
Richard Crossley · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The black scoter or American scoter (Melanitta americana) is a large sea duck, 43 to 49 cm (17 to 19 in) in length. The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek melas "black" and netta "duck". The species name is from the Latin for "American".
Together with the common scoter M. nigra, it forms the subgenus Oidemia; the two are sometimes considered conspecific, the black scoter then being referred to as M. nigra americana. Its French name, used in parts of its Canadian range, is macreuse noire (also meaning "black scoter"). The species is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.
Wikipedia contributors, Black scoter; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T04:37:00.521552+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Melanitta americana (Swainson, 1832)
- Name authority
- (Swainson, 1832)
- Common name
- American Scoter
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
- Genus
- Melanitta
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderAnseriformes
- familyAnatidae Leach, 1820
- genusMelanitta F. Boie, 1822
- speciesMelanitta americana (Swainson, 1832)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Melanitta. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Velvet ScoterMelanitta fusca (Linnaeus, 1758) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black ScoterMelanitta nigra (Linnaeus, 1758) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-winged ScoterMelanitta deglandi (Bonaparte, 1850) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Stejneger's ScoterMelanitta stejnegeri (Ridgway, 1887) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Melanitta nigra americana (Swainson, 1832) (Swainson, 1832) | synonym |
| Oidemia americana Swainson, 1832 Swainson, 1832 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
North America
Southern Asia
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=714092 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3Z839. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.