Greater Scaup

The Greater Scaup , just Scaup in Europe, or colloquially known as Bluebill, is a small diving duck. It breeds on the ground by lakes and bogs on the tundra and at the northern limits of the boreal forest across Arctic and subarctic regions of northern North America, Europe and Asia.

The Greater Scaup is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

The greater scaup and lesser scaup are some of the most challenging waterfowl for birders to distinguish between, and there is no single indicator that is clear for either bird. Birders who learn the many tiny differences between the two birds, however, can gradually become proficient in telling them apart. More

The Greater Scaup (Aythya marila), just Scaup in Europe, or colloquially known as "Bluebill", is a small diving duck. It breeds on the ground by lakes and bogs on the tundra and at the northern limits of the boreal forest across Arctic and subarctic regions of northern North America, Europe and Asia. The adult Greater Scaup is 42–51 cm long with a 71–80 cm wingspan, larger than the Lesser Scaup. It has a blue bill and yellow eyes. More

Greater Scaup – particularly during flight –, but their call is weaker, a guttural brrtt, brrtt. Identification Lesser Scaup drake in alternate plumage. Note typical head shape; purple sheen visible on neck. Greater Scaup drake in alternate plumage. Note typical head shape; green sheen visible on neck. Lesser Scaup hen. Note amber iris. Greater Scaup hen. Note bright yellow iris. Drake of the Ring-necked Duck (A. collaris) in alternate plumage. Note black wings. More

A female Greater Scaup photographed in Rockland Harbor earlier in December Photo by Don Reimer by Don Reimer During the December 19 Rockland-Thomaston Christmas Bird Count, I took special notice of a certain brown duck swimming near to shore at Buoy Park in Rockland Harbor. There were several other species of brown-looking ducks in the same field of view, but this bird drew my attention because of the prominent white band of feathering around the base of its bill. More

Greater Scaup - Aythya marilaThe Greater Scaup is very similar in appearance to its close cousin, the Lesser Scaup, but is generally found further north in the summer, is only rarely found very far inland in winter, and can also be found in northern Europe and Asia. See notes below for differentiating between Greater and Lesser Scaup. Habitat: Found on lakes and bogs near the treeline during the summer breeding season. More

The nest of a Greater Scaup is usually lined with a thick layer of down plucked by the mother from her own breast. Nests of poor-condition females may lack down and instead may contain small, grayish-white feathers plucked from beneath the outer body feathers. General Comments The Greater Scaup is found primarily along the seacoast and on large bodies of water. Unlike its look-alike relative the Lesser Scaup, the Greater Scaup is found across Eurasia as well as North America. More

Widespread across the Northern Hemisphere, the Greater Scaup has attracted many names, including bluebill, blackhead, greyback, and shuffler."Scaup" may refer to the "scalps," or shellfish, that it eats, or to its call, "kaup! kaup!".This marine duck's heavy body, an advantage in diving, requires it to run over the water to become airborne. When flocks of Greater Scaup take flight, the water surface boils with their effort. The chaos of wings and rushing water can dazzle a predator—or a naturalist. More

Greater Scaup: Found in Alaska, northern Canada and along both north American coasts and sometimes along the gulf coasts. Prefers ponds, marshes and lakes. Voice Text "scaup", "week-week-week" Interesting Facts * The Greater Scaup's name may come from its display call of "scaup scaup. More

The Greater Scaup is found primarily along the seacoast and on large bodies of water. Unlike its look-alike relative the Lesser Scaup, the Greater Scaup is found across Eurasia as well as North America. More

* Occasionally an older female Greater Scaup will have male-like head color and male patterning on her back, but she still has the typical white face patch of a female. * Once incubation begins, the male Greater Scaup leaves the female and goes to molt on some relatively large, isolated lake. More

Greater Scaup migrate southwards to winter in flocks to coastal waters. The Greater Scaup mainly eats mollusks and aquatic plants, obtained by diving and swimming underwater. There is a report of four Greater Scaups swallowing leopard frogs (with body length about 5 cm (2 inches)) which they dredged out of a roadside freshwater pond. More

During the winter, nearly 80% of Greater Scaup converge in the urbanized, northern portion of the Atlantic Flyway, where, unfortunately, they face shrinking and degraded habitat and pollution. State of the Birds > Common Birds in Decline > Greater Scaup #4 Common Bird in DeclineGreater Scaup(Aythya marila) French Name: Fuligule milouinan Spanish Name: Pato baludo mayor Genus: Aythya Species: A. More

similar to Greater Scaup when assuming this attitude, particularly when showing a green gloss to the head. E F Images G-J were obtained at a slough along the Ohio River in Henderson County on 21 March 2007. These images are of a mixed flock of Lesser and Greater Scaup. More

North American RangeThe male Greater Scaup has white flanks, a black rump and breast, and barred gray back. He has a green-black iridescent head and light gray-blue bill. The adult in its second year has a yellow eye. The male in non-breeding plumage has a black head and breast, brown body, and black rump. The female is brownish overall, also with a yellow eye after the age of two. The female also has a white semi-circle at the base of the beak. More

Bent Life History for the Greater Scaup - the common name and sub-species reflect the nomenclature in use at the time the description was written. More

Aspects of the topic greater scaup are discussed in the following places at Britannica. Assorted References * classification and description (in pochard (bird); ...it from the similarly coloured canvasback. Hunters call redheads “fool ducks” because they can be lured with decoys so easily. Scaups, or bluebills, are smaller than mallards. In the greater scaup (A. More

The head, neck and breast of the greater scaup is dark and the bill is blue. The body is light colored at the middle and dark at ends. The female has a white splotch at the base of the bill. Except for the wing marks, the greater and lesser scaups appear nearly identical in the field. The light band near the trailing edges of the wing runs almost to the tip in the greater scaup, but only about halfway in the lesser. More

the larger size of the greater scaup is very obvious. Male greater scaup also have a larger, more round, green-tinted head than male lesser scaup. Male greater scaup have a glossy black head tinted green. The neck, breast and upper mantle are glossy black, and the flanks and belly are white, sometimes with gray vermiculations on the lower flanks. The back is whitish with fine black vermiculations, and the tail and upper- and under-tail coverts are black. More

Smaller and grayer than the greater scaup, the drake lesser scaup in breeding plumage looks black fore and aft, with white sides and a gray back. Late in winter, and in bright light, his back can look almost white. Though black from a distance, once in hand the head shows a slightly iridescent purple, and like the greater scaup’s, it has bright yellow eyes. The head of the lesser scaup is less perfectly round than that of a greater scaup, with a slight bump to the rear. More

This male greater scaup is seen between dives while foraging for aquatic invertebrates. This male greater scaup is seen between dives while foraging for aquatic invertebrates. Courtesy: E. Marks, Audubon Society of Rhode Island Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) Field markings: 16 to 20 inches long. A small diving duck with rounded, dark head and light-colored sides. Female scaup are mostly dark brown with a distinct white mask at the base of a bluish bill. More

greater scaup always has a fully rounded rear crown - it's the killer feature (which I'm assuming isn't a Europe-only thing). On the other points: thick neck isn't a feature I've heard of, and this neck looks neither thick nor thin to me; very pale areas are tricky to judge from a photo as it's so easy for them to be blown-out by the exposure, as I think has happened here with the body-side. Posted 2 weeks ago. More

The Greater Scaup drake has a black chest and rump, white flanks and undersides. Its back is grayish. It has a large rounded head with a greenish tinge. Its bill is light gray. The hen has a brown head and breast and white at the base of its gray bill. The Greater Scaup can easily be confused with its cousin the Lesser Scaup. The Greater breeds primarily in the far north on tundra lakes and ponds. More

~ Greater Scaups in Alaska ~ HOME What's New Contact Us Purchase Prints < Back to GALLERY INDEX - Greater Scaup Migration Like Red Necked Grebes and Trumpeter Swans, the Greater Scaups migrate to Alaska to their breeding grounds during the summer. More

Greater Scauphome site map Site for sale - serious 'end user' type offers only please. More

Greater ScaupThe greater scaup is a medium-sized diving duck is 15-22 inches in length with a wingspan of about 28-30 inches. It has a rounded head, yellow eyes, and a grayish-blue bill with a black tip. The male has a black chest and tail, white sides, and a barred gray back. His head and neck look black, but are actually a greenish-black. The female is brown and has a white patch at the base of her bill. More

tip in the Greater Scaup, but only about half way in the Lesser Scaup. Greater Scaup prefer large open water areas; Lesser Scaup often use marshes and ponds. More

greater scaupgreater scaup - large scaup of North America having a greenish iridescence on the head of the maleAythya marilabluebill, scaup, scaup duck, broadbill - diving ducks of North America having a bluish-grey bill How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. More

Note the rounder head of the Greater Scaup with the peak of the head being farther forward. The color of the head is greener in the Greater and more purple in the Lesser, although this is not a difference that can be relied upon. The sides and back of the greater are lighter and there's a larger black nail on the tip of the bill (not easy to see). The Lesser Scaup has a narrower, taller head and, as the name indicates, is smaller in size averaging 16. More