Black Scoter (Melanitta americana)Where and when to see it in the UK
Status not yet classified · reporting peaks February · Ducks, Swans, and Geese · BOU category A
Peak months
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (grid squares, place names from OS Open Names). Northern Ireland place names: OSNI Open Data, OGL v3.0. County and country boundaries: Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence v3.0. Coastline: Natural Earth. Bird records from the data partners listed here.
Black Scoter has been recorded in 24 of the 2,971 10 km squares covering UK land (1%) in records to 2026. Its strongest squares are in England, Scotland and Wales. Reporting peaks in February.
Conservation status: Near Threatened (IUCN Red List, NT)
View on the IUCN Red List- Very high
- 100% or more of visits
- High
- 26% to 100%
- Moderate
- 4% to 26%
- Low
- under 4%
- Surveyed, not recorded
- at least 20 qualifying visits, no record
- Insufficient records
- too few visits to say
- Lighter fill
- Few visits, lower confidence
- Small dot
- Occasional: a single record, or out of season
Relative to this species' best squares (how classes are calculated)
Seasonality
| Month | Relative to peak | Share of visits | Typical class |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42% | <1% | Low |
| February | 100% | <1% | Moderate |
| March | 21% | <1% | Very high |
| April | 4% | <1% | Low |
| May | 0% | <1% | Very high |
| June | 1% | <1% | Low |
| July | 0% | <1% | Very high |
| August | 2% | <1% | Very high |
| September | 3% | <1% | Very high |
| October | 33% | <1% | Very high |
| November | 21% | <1% | Very high |
| December | 18% | <1% | Very high |
Squares with the highest reporting rate in February
| Square | Where | Share of visits | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| TM46 | Suffolk, England | 100% | Very high |
| TM58 | Suffolk, England | 100% | Very high |
| NU04 | Northumberland, England | 17% | Moderate |
| TF84 | Norfolk, England | 6% | Moderate |
| NU13 | Northumberland, England | 4% | Moderate |
| NH89 | Highland, Scotland | <1% | Insufficient records |
| NJ27 | Moray, Scotland | <1% | Surveyed, not recorded |
| NJ91 | Aberdeenshire, Scotland | <1% | Insufficient records |
| NO65 | Angus, Scotland | <1% | Insufficient records |
| NO76 | Aberdeenshire, Scotland | <1% | Surveyed, not recorded |