#67 Surf Scoter

These velvety sea ducks are bicoastal, spending winters as far south as Baja California and the Gulf Coast, then heading north to breed on freshwater lakes at the edge of the tundra. The males have long candy corn-like bills and white patches on their black domes, giving them the nickname “old skunkhead.” In the winter they mix with Black Scoters and White-winged Scoters, so it pays to know where the white is on each species.