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Surf scoter
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=== Breeding === Surf scoters form pairs on wintering and staging grounds. Most pairs are formed before the arrival on the breeding grounds. Studies showed a strong fidelity in the nesting areas of surf scoters over the years.<ref name="Takekawa">{{cite book |last1=Takekawa |first1=John Y.|last2=De La Cruz |first2=Susan W.|last3=Wilson |first3=Matthew T.|last4=Palm |first4=Eric C.|last5=Yee |first5=Julie|last6=Nysewander |first6=David R.|last7=Evenson |first7=Joseph R. |last8=Eadie |first8=John M.|last9=Esler |first9=Daniel S.|last10=Boyd |first10=W. Sean |last11=Ward |first11=David H.|editor-last=Wells |editor-first=Jeffrey V.|title=Boreal Birds of North America: A Hemispheric View of their Conservation Links and Significance |publisher=University of California Press |date=2011 |pages=41โ64 |chapter=Chapter 4: Breeding Distribution and Ecology of Pacific Coast Surf Scoters}}</ref> The building of the nest usually starts in mid-May to early June and it occurs on the ground close to the sea, lakes or rivers, in woodland or tundra. Females dig a bowl-shaped nest in the ground and lines it with nearby ground debris and [[Down feather|down]]. About 5 to 9 eggs are laid and each may range from 55 to 79 g (1.9โ2.8 oz) and average 43.9 mm (1.73 in) in breadth and 62.4 mm (2.46 in) in length. The incubation lasts for about 28 to 30 days and is provided by the female only.<ref name="Palmer"/> Occasional (and likely accidental) brood mixing between different females occurs in areas with high densities of nests and hatching is synchronous among the eggs. The female usually chooses a feeding area less than 2 meters deep and protected from strong winds for its offspring.<ref name="Lesage">{{cite journal|last1=Lesage|first1=Louis|last2=Reed|first2=Austin|last3=Savard|first3=Jean-Pierre L.|title=Duckling survival and use of space by surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) broods|journal=รcoscience|date=2008|volume=15|issue=1|pages=81โ88|doi=10.2980/1195-6860(2008)15[81:dsauos]2.0.co;2|s2cid=83674060 }}</ref> When they reach those food-rich wetland, they begin feeding on their own. The mother abandons its young before they reach the flight age, at about 55 days.<ref name="Lesage"/> The fledged offspring congregate in small groups on the breeding area before migrating to the wintering grounds, independently of the adults. Studies in Quebec have demonstrated a duckling mortality of 55โ65%, probably influenced by the weather conditions shortly after hatching.<ref name="Lesage"/>
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