Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata Linnaeus       Field Guide IDs: NG-90; G-60; PE-54; PW-pl 12; AE-pl 129; AW-pl 113; AM(I)-194 Nest Location Nest Type Eggs & Mating System Dev. & Parental Care Primary & 2ndary Diet.. Foraging Strategy F I: ? DAYS PRECOCIAL 2   F 5-8 MONOG F: ? DAYS F BREEDING: Bogs, ponds or sluggish streams in brushy or forested habitats. 1 brood. DISPLAYS: Much courtship occurs in groups. See: Duck Displays. NEST: Often in clump of small spruce or dwarf willow, or placed in grass tussock. Reportedly occ far from open water. Lined with feathers and down. EGGS: Pinkish- or buffy-white. 2.4" (62 mm). DIET: Mostly mollusks, crustaceans, also aquatic insects; very little aquatic veg. Fish eggs occ constitute 90% of diet. CONSERVATION: Winters s along coasts to ne Mexico. Apparently declined extensively in early 1900s; numbers now stable. NOTES: Breeding biology least known of all N.A. ducks. Frequently "scotes" (scoots) through breaking waves while feeding offshore. STANFORD. NOTES: ESSAYS: Dabblers vs. Divers; Skimming; How Do We Find Out About Bird Biology?; Swimming. REFERENCES: Bellrose, 1976; Gooders and Boyer, 1986.