The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek melas "black" and netta "duck".

The facial pattern in female-type birds is highly variable – younger individuals have conspicuous white spots in front and behind the eye, while adults may lack these patches and appear entirely chocolate brown in winter.

[3] Juveniles resemble females but have more distinct facial patches and a mottled white belly.

The male Stejneger's scoter has a very tall knob at the base of its mostly orange-yellow bill.

Female of both species are very similar and best distinguished by head shape; White-winged Scoters tend to have "two-stepped" profile between the bill and the head, compared to the long "Roman nose" profile of Stejneger's Scoter similar to that of a common eider.

[3] They mainly breed in boreal forest from Alaska to Western Canada and are less common east towards the Hudson Bay and south towards the Canadian Prairies.

The lined nest is built on the ground close to the sea, lakes or rivers, in woodland or tundra.

Males remain with females during the egg-laying period, and typically gather in small groups before leaving the breeding grounds when the young have hatched.

Brood amalgamation is not uncommon in areas in densely populated breeding grounds, with as many as 100 ducklings gathering in a creche,.

Their large size enables them to find larger prey and dive deeper than Surf or Black Scoters.