Listen to the common scoter
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the common scoter
The common scoter is a bird in the family Anatidae (order Anseriformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 85 cm.
What does the common scoter sound like?
Bird vocalisations are usually divided into songs – longer, often complex phrases used to defend territory and attract mates, sung mostly by males in the breeding season – and calls: short, simple sounds for contact, alarm, begging or flight.
The recordings here are labelled as nocturnal flight call. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The common scoter (Melanitta nigra) is a large sea duck, 43–54 cm (17–21 in) in length, which breeds over the far north of Europe and the Palearctic east to the Olenyok River. The black scoter (M. americana) of North America and eastern Siberia was formerly considered to be a subspecies.
More from the family Anatidae
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Greylag goose
Anser anser
Northern pintail
Anas acuta
Mute swan
Cygnus olor
Eurasian teal
Anas crecca
Ruddy shelduck
Tadorna ferruginea
Gadwall
Mareca strepera
Whooper swan
Cygnus cygnus
Eurasian wigeon
Mareca penelope
Common shelduck
Tadorna tadorna
Tufted duck
Aythya fuligula
Common pochard
Aythya ferina
Frequently asked questions
What does a common scoter sound like?
You can hear 1 recording of the common scoter on this page, including its nocturnal flight call. Bird vocalisations are usually divided into songs – longer, often complex phrases used to defend territory and attract mates, sung mostly by males in the breeding season – and calls: short, simple sounds for contact, alarm, begging or flight.
Is the common scoter endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the common scoter as “least concern”.
What family does the common scoter belong to?
The common scoter (Melanitta nigra) belongs to the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes.
Sources & credits
- Nocturnal flight call · Oviedo, Asturias, Principado de Asturias, Spain by Luis Alvarez Menendez – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q27434 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Common scoter – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Stephan Sprinz – CC BY-SA 4.0