Kauaʻi record · kba_bird_surf_scoter
Surf Scoter
Melanitta perspicillata
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About Surf Scoter
Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) is recorded as a vagrant on Kauaʻi in the Bishop Museum's 2017 island checklist. This is a documented island occurrence, not a claim of an individual sighting in 2026.
Kauaʻi evidence
Bishop Museum island checklist (version 2, 2017) lists Kauaʻi status V: vagrant. See original island table. A Hawaiʻi-level record is available, but the species needs a documented Kauaʻi observation before local ecological conclusions are drawn.
Occurrence evidence
bishop_island_checklist_2017
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Melanitta perspicillata
- Common names
- Surf Scoter
- Family
- Anatidae
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Record type
- Species
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Kauaʻi documented: vagrant (2017 island checklist)
- Origin
- Vagrant visitor
- Conservation status
- Not assessed
- Evidence date
- 2026-09-13
- Evidence limits
- Island occurrence supported by the 2017 checklist; abundance and current year presence are not established here
Habitat and ecology
- Habitats
- Wetlands · Taro fields · Ponds · Estuaries · Coastal habitat
- Food and resource needs
- For Kauaʻi, Surf Scoter has no standing local food dependency until an occurrence is validated. If recorded, attach the observation to transient access to aquatic vegetation, seeds, algae, submerged plant material, aquatic invertebrates, mollusks, crustaceans, small fish, or planktonic prey according to foraging type.
- Reproduction
- Breeding on Kauaʻi is not established; seasonal resting and foraging habitat may be relevant.
- Shelter
- Shelter and structure within wetlands, taro fields, ponds.
Threats and conservation
- Threats
- Wetland condition, avian disease, survey detectability, and rare-record review are the relevant open questions
- Conservation actions
- Document date, place, observer, habitat, and supporting media · Confirm identification and Kauaʻi occurrence before local conservation use
- Monitoring
- Document date, place, observer, habitat, behavior, and supporting media for any Kauaʻi observation.
- Data gaps
- Update island status with dated contemporary records · Specific Kauaʻi habitat and abundance need local evidence
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal timing
- Rare Or Unresolved Hawaiian Waterbird Record Needs Kauai Review
- Seasonal description
- Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) is recorded as a vagrant on Kauaʻi in the Bishop Museum's 2017 island checklist. This is a documented island occurrence, not a claim of an individual sighting in 2026.