The white-winged scoter is the largest of the three North American scoter species. A large white speculum on a black wing makes this species of scoter easy to identify while in flight.
Males are equipped with a completely black body, white eye patches, an orange bill that turns red at the tip with a large black knob at the base. The males feet are reddish-orange with gray webbing.
The female white-winged scoter has overall dark brownish-black plumage with two white spots on the sides of its head, one in front of and another behind the eye. It has a dark gray bill with a less prominent black knob at the base, as well as dull orange feet.
Winter migration for the white-winged scoter prevails throughout bays and inlets of the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, while breeding occurs at various fresh water locations in northwestern Canada and Alaska.
