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Black Scoter takes a mollusc

on 18th May 2011

Dr Eric Tan’s was in Japan in March 2011 when he photographed this male Black Scoter (Melanitta nigra), also known as American Scoter in Nemuro, Hokkaidō.

Note that the Black Scoter has a mollusc clamped between its mandibles. It is reported that the bird swallows it whole. The powerful muscles of the gizzard crush the shell, pieces of which may be retained to help in the grinding of the food it takes.

Scoters are dark sea-ducks that spend most of the year in large flocks on the ocean. Their main food when at sea is mussels and other bivalves, crustaceans, marine worms, sea urchins, aquatic insects, small fish and some plant material.

This post is a cooperative effort between NaturePixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience.

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

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