Surf Scoter
Surf ScoterSurf ScoterSurf ScoterSurf Scoter

Surf Scoter

Melanitta perspicillata

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Insufficient data
overall probability at Great Smoky Mountains National Park
1 Verified records at Great Smoky Mountains National Park
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) is a large sea duck native to North America. Adult males are almost entirely black with characteristic white patches on the forehead and the nape and adult females are slightly smaller and browner. Surf scoters breed in Northern Canada and Alaska and winter along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America. They are diving ducks and mainly feed on benthic invertebrates, mussels representing an important part of their diet. Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Canada Goose
LC

Canada Goose

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Branta canadensis

20–30% · Possible
Mallard
LC

Mallard

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anas platyrhynchos

20–30% · Possible
Common Merganser
LC

Common Merganser

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Mergus merganser

<5% · Rare
Wood Duck
LC

Wood Duck

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aix sponsa

<5% · Rare
Canvasback
LC

Canvasback

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aythya valisineria

Insufficient data
Muscovy Duck
LC

Muscovy Duck

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cairina moschata

<5% · Rare
Gadwall
LC

Gadwall

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Mareca strepera

<5% · Rare
Ring-necked Duck
LC

Ring-necked Duck

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aythya collaris

<5% · Rare
Blue-winged Teal
LC

Blue-winged Teal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spatula discors

<5% · Rare
Bufflehead
LC

Bufflehead

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Bucephala albeola

<5% · Rare
Hooded Merganser
LC

Hooded Merganser

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Lophodytes cucullatus

<5% · Rare
Northern Shoveler
LC

Northern Shoveler

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spatula clypeata

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

📊

Fewer than 5 records of Surf Scoter at Great Smoky Mountains National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
40–50%
2 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
3 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
20–30%
4 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
5 Kenai Fjords National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
6 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
7 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
10–20%
8 Gates of the Arctic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
9 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
10 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
11 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
12 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
13 Katmai National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
14 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
15 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
16 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
17 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
18 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
19 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
20 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
21 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
22 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
23 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
24 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
25 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
26 Nahanni National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
27 Wood Buffalo National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
28 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
29 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
30 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
31 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
32 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
Insufficient data
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