Velvet Scoter (Melanitta fusca)
Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus)
White secondaries the most striking feature in all plumages. Generally heavy built with large bill, heavy head, thick neck and short tail. Male: black with white crescent below eye and partly orange bill. Female sooty black with variable light patches at lore and cheek. Flaps it's wings with a raised head when on water. Dives without jumping and with wings slightly open. Swimming birds may not always show white secondaries. Tends to form less dense flocks than Common Scoter, often with birds in single file.
Sound:Seldom heard. Calls: Short accented "tup tup tup" and a shivering "gahhahahaha".
Distribution:Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCAdults: Black back and pinkish legs. Large white windows at tips of primaries, and broad white trailing edge of wing. A very heavy gull with a heavy bill and broad wings. Juveniles with pale head, boldly spotted back and heavier bill than Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gull.
Sound:Can be identified from the low pitch alone. Clearly deeper than Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gull.
Call:
Distribution:
Xeno-canto: map
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CC