Although the least numerous scoter on the continent, it is the most common scoter along the Pacific coast south of Alaska and winters by the thousands off Oregon.

Adult males' plumage, black except for white patches on the forehead and nape, yields attention to the bill, a swollen white, red-orange, yellow, and black wedge feathered squarely along its base. The highly visible standard advertises male's presence for up to a mile.

Dark-billed adult females and subadults are dark brown above and paler brown below, with two indistinct light patches on the cheeks and sometimes on the nape. A flattened head profile and heavier bill distinguish this species from other scoters.

The surf scoter is abundant on salt water along the coast from fall through spring and uncommon during summer. It is uncommon on fresh water near the coast, and does not breed in Oregon. Inland, several are recorded from west of the Cascades and a few from eastern Oregon most years, usually in fall on large lakes and reservoirs.

Hear the call of the surf scoter

Photo by Justin Ainswoth, ODFW