The Velvet Scoter (Melanitta fusca) is a large, dark sea duck breeding in Scandinavia and western Russia. The male is glossy black overall with a small white "teardrop" spot below and behind the eye and orange colouring on the bill, while the female is dark brown with two pale spots on each cheek. Both sexes carry a white wing patch that shows clearly in flight and often even on swimming, diving birds — the surest way to separate this species from the all-black Common Scoter. It measures 51–58 cm with a wingspan of 90–99 cm and weighs 1.2–2.0 kg.
The Velvet Scoter is largely silent, occasionally giving weak whistling or croaking sounds during courtship, but in Sweden it usually appears mute. It breeds at freshwater sites in the mountains and on islands in the archipelago, with the female building a well-hidden ground nest, often under a bush, and laying 7–9 eggs; she incubates alone, and several females with broods sometimes join together. Outside the breeding season it gathers in flocks along coasts, especially in the Baltic, diving for its main food of mussels, above all blue mussels, along with crustaceans, snails and small fish, swallowing prey whole to be crushed in its muscular gizzard. The Swedish population, estimated at 5,000–10,000 pairs, is declining, and the species is classified as Vulnerable both globally and on Sweden's Red List, with bycatch in fishing nets among the recognised threats.
Read about this species in Swedish →