Editing Surf scoter (section)

== Taxonomy ==
In 1750 the English naturalist [[George Edwards (naturalist)|George Edwards]] included an illustration and a description of the surf scoter in the third volume of his ''A Natural History of Uncommon Birds''. He used the English name "The great black duck from Hudson's Bay". Edwards based his hand-coloured etching on a preserved specimen that had been brought to London from the [[Hudson Bay]] area of Canada by [[James Isham]].<ref>{{ cite book | last=Edwards | first=George | author-link=George Edwards (naturalist) | year=1743 | title=A Natural History of Uncommon Birds | place=London | publisher=Printed for the author at the College of Physicians | volume=Part 3 | page=155, Plate 155 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/50196349 }}</ref> When in 1758 the Swedish naturalist [[Carl Linnaeus]] updated his ''[[Systema Naturae]]'' for the [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|tenth edition]], he placed the surf scoter with the ducks and geese in the [[genus]] ''[[Anas]]''. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the [[binomial name]] ''Anas perspicillata'' and cited Edwards' work.<ref>{{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=Carl | author-link=Carl Linnaeus | year=1758 | title= Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | volume=1 | edition=10th | page=125 | publisher=Laurentii Salvii | place=Holmiae (Stockholm) | language=la | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/727030 }}</ref> The surf scoter is now one of six species placed in the genus ''[[Melanitta]]'' that was introduced by the German zoologist [[Friedrich Boie]] in 1822.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Boie | first=Friedrich | author-link=Friedrich Boie | year=1822 | title=Tagebuch gehalten auf einer Reise durch Norwegen im Jahre 1817 | language=German | location=Schleswig | publisher=Königl Taubstummen - Institut  | pages=[https://archive.org/details/tagebuchgehalten00boie/page/308/mode/1up 308], [https://archive.org/details/tagebuchgehalten00boie/page/351/mode/1up 351]}}<!--BHL hasn't a copy. I'm not sure if Schleswig is a place - the institute may have been in Vienna. Also p. 308 (from Peters and Zoonomen) seems wrong - Melanitta mentioned on pp. 286, 326 --></ref><ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date=July 2021 | title=Screamers, ducks, geese & swans | work=IOC World Bird List Version 11.2 | url=http://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/waterfowl/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=16 October 2021 }}</ref> The genus name ''Melanitta'' combines the [[Ancient Greek]] ''melas'' meaning "black" and ''netta'' meaning "duck". The [[specific name (zoology)|specific name]] is from the [[Neo-Latin|Modern Latin]] ''perspicillatus'' meaning "spectacled", in turn derived from ''perspicere'' "to see through".<ref>{{cite book | last= Jobling | first= James A | year= 2010| title= The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | publisher = Christopher Helm | location = London | isbn = 978-1-4081-2501-4 | pages = [https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n246/mode/1up 246], [https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n299/mode/1up 299] }}</ref>

A cladistic analysis based on several morphological characters placed the surf scoter as a [[monotypic taxon]], closest to the [[white-winged scoter]] (''Melanitta deglandi'') and the [[velvet scoter]] (''Melanitta fusca''), which are both [[sister taxa]].<ref name="Collinson">{{cite journal|last1=Collinson|first1=Jon Martin | last2=Knox | first2=Alan | last3=Sangster |first3=George | title=Species limit within the genus ''Melanitta'', the scoters | journal=British Birds|date=April 2006|pages=183–201}}</ref><ref name="Livezey">{{cite journal|last1=Livezey|first1=Bradley C.|title=Phylogeny and evolutionary ecology of modern seaducks (Anatidae: Mergini)|journal=The Condor|date=1995|volume=97|issue=1|pages=233–255|doi=10.2307/1368999|jstor=1368999}}</ref> These three species form the subgenus [[Melanitta]], distinct from the subgenus [[Oidemia]], which contains the [[black scoter]] (''Melanitta americana'') and the [[common scoter]] (''Melanitta nigra'').

The genus ''Melanitta'' is part of the [[Mergini]] tribe, a [[monophyletic]] group of the Northern Hemisphere.<ref name="Livezey"/> It includes [[eider]]s, [[merganser]]s, [[Goldeneye (duck)|goldeneyes]] and other sea ducks.<ref name="Livezey"/><ref name="Gonzalez">{{cite journal|last1=Gonzalez|first1=J.|last2=Düttmann|first2=H.|last3=Wink|first3=M.|title=Phylogenetic relationships based on two mitochondrial genes and hybridization patterns in Anatidae|journal=Journal of Zoology|date=2009|volume=279|issue=3|pages=310–318|doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2009.00622.x}}</ref> This tribe is part of the family [[Anatidae]], along with the swans and geese.