Data Zone
Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
Livezey, B. C. 1995. Phylogeny and evolutionary ecology of modern seaducks (Anatidae: Mergini). Condor 97(1): 233-255.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Least Concern | |
| 2016 | Least Concern | |
| 2013 | Least Concern | |
| 2012 | Least Concern | |
| 2008 | Not Recognised | |
| 2004 | Not Recognised | |
| 2000 | Not Recognised | |
| 1994 | Not Recognised | |
| 1988 | Not Recognised |
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | does not normally occur in forest |
| Land-mass type | Average mass | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) | 12,000,000 km2 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) | 7,110,000 km2 | medium |
| Severely fragmented? | no | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population size | 1070000 mature individuals | poor | estimated | 2006 |
| Population trend | unknown | - | - | - |
| Generation length | 7.5 years | - | - | - |
Population justification: The total population has been estimated to number 1,600,000 individuals (Delany and Scott 2006), which probably includes c.1,070,000 mature individuals, assuming that they account for around 2/3 of the population. The European population is estimated at 107,000-131,000 pairs, which equates to 214,000-263,000 mature individuals (BirdLife International 2015).
Trend justification: An analysis of the population trend in the Baltic Sea suggests that a decline of 47.4% occurred between 1988-1993, when a total of c.783,000 birds wintered there, and 2007-2009, when c.412,000 birds were counted (Skov et al. 2011). Extrapolation of these data suggests that this is equivalent to a decline of c.55% over three generations (23 years, based on a generation length of c.7.5 years). However, data from other sources contradict this apparent decline. Data on passage migrants in the Gulf of Finland are not indicative of a decline, with stable or positive trends observed since the 1970s (M. Ellermaa in litt. 2012, A. Lehikoinen et al. in litt. 2012). Numbers breeding in Finland appear to have been stable or to have increased slightly since the 1990s (M. Ellermaa in litt. 2012, A. Lehikoinen et al. in litt. 2012), with the same trend in Sweden since the 1970s (per N. Holmqvist in litt. 2012). These conflicting data sets imply that a large proportion of the wintering population could have shifted to the North Sea (M. Ellermaa in litt. 2012). This theory is supported by increased numbers in British waters during the winter of 2009/2010 (M. Hancock in litt. 2012).
| Country/Territory | Presence | Origin | Resident | Breeding visitor | Non-breeding visitor | Passage migrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Austria | extant | native | yes | |||
| Azerbaijan | extant | native | ||||
| Belarus | extant | native | ||||
| Belgium | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bulgaria | extant | native | yes | |||
| Croatia | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Cyprus | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Czechia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Denmark | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Estonia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Finland | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| France | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Germany | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Gibraltar (to UK) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Greece | extant | native | yes | |||
| Greenland (to Denmark) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Hungary | extant | native | yes | |||
| Iceland | extant | native | yes | |||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | extant | native | yes | |||
| Ireland | extant | native | yes | |||
| Italy | extant | native | yes | |||
| Kazakhstan | extant | native | ||||
| Latvia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Libya | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Liechtenstein | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Lithuania | extant | native | yes | |||
| Malta | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Mauritania | extant | native | yes | |||
| Montenegro | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Morocco | extant | native | ||||
| Netherlands | extant | native | yes | |||
| North Macedonia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Norway | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Poland | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Portugal | extant | native | yes | |||
| Romania | extant | native | yes | |||
| Russia | extant | native | yes | yes | yes | |
| Russia (Central Asian) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Russia (European) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Serbia | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Slovakia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Slovenia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Spain | extant | native | yes | |||
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Sweden | extant | native | yes | |||
| Switzerland | extant | native | yes | |||
| Tunisia | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Türkiye | extant | native | yes | |||
| Turkmenistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Ukraine | extant | native | yes | |||
| United Kingdom | extant | native | yes | |||
| Western Sahara | extant | native |
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marine Neritic | Macroalgal/Kelp | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Pelagic | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Seagrass (Submerged) | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Loose Rock/pebble/gravel | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Subtidal Sandy-Mud | major | non-breeding |
| Shrubland | Boreal | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Tundra Wetlands (incl. pools and temporary waters from snowmelt) | major | breeding |
| Altitude | Occasional altitudinal limits |
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources - Unintentional effects: (large scale) [harvest] | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
|
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| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
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| Climate change & severe weather | Other impacts | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Future | Majority (50-90%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
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| Energy production & mining | Mining & quarrying | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Energy production & mining | Renewable energy | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases | Viral/prion-induced diseases - Avian Influenza Virus (H5N1 subtype) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Future | Minority (<50%) | Rapid Declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Pollution | Agricultural & forestry effluents - Type Unknown/Unrecorded | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Pollution | Industrial & military effluents - Oil spills | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Transportation & service corridors | Shipping lanes | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Purpose | Scale |
|---|---|
| Pets/display animals, horticulture | international |
| Sport hunting/specimen collecting | subsistence, national |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Common Scoter Melanitta nigra. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/common-scoter-melanitta-nigra on 27/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 27/12/2024.