greater scaup
scaup
aythya marila latin

The male greater scaup has a green head with white-and-gray sides.

The Greater Scaup is the second most common duck species.

Greater Scaup typically nest on islands in large northern lakes.

In the fall, the Greater Scaup populations start their migration south for the winter.

The Greater Scaup dive to obtain food, which they eat on the surface.

Greater Scaup begin breeding when they are two years old, although they may start nesting at age one.

During the summer months, the Greater Scaup will eat small aquatic crustaceans.

The drake or male Greater Scaup is larger and has a more rounded head than the female.

The Greater Scaup was first studied by Linnaeus in 1761.

Along with the aerial population surveys, there is a banding program for the Greater Scaup.

Greater Scaup are a popular game bird in North America and Europe.

Greater Scaup eat aquatic mollusks, plants, and insects, which they obtain by diving underwater.

Juvenile Greater Scaup look similar to adult females.

The Greater Scaup forms large flocks, some of which can contain thousands of birds.

Greater Scaup, when moulting and during the winter, are threatened by escalated levels of organochloride contaminants.

The occurrence of hybridization between Lesser and Greater Scaup in the wild is disputed.

The count also recorded its three millionth bird in its 75 years, when the Scarsdale chapter reported 1,000 greater scaup ducks.

Female Greater Scaup have a single pitch, a raspy "arrr-arrr-arrr-arrr-arrr" sounding vocalization.

Greater Scaup often find themselves entangled in fishing nets, thus large numbers of them drown in nets each year.

It was estimated that the Greater Scaup made up about 11% of the continental Scaup population.

There are two varieties of scaup that winter in Connecticut, the greater scaup and lesser scaup.

The only duck which is at all similar is the drake Greater Scaup which however has no tuft and a different call.

Drake Greater Scaup are larger and have more rounded heads than females; they have a bright blue bill and yellow eyes.

These are gregarious ducks, mainly found on fresh water or on estuaries, though the Greater Scaup becomes marine during the northern winter.

Common predators of the Greater Scaup are owls, skunks, raccoons, foxes, coyotes, and humans.

Scaup Aythya marila (Thunnag varrey)

SCAUP Aythya marila.

The Greater Scaup (Aythya marila), just Scaup in Europe, or colloquially "Bluebill" in North America for its bright blue bill, is a mid-sized diving duck though it is larger than the closely related Lesser Scaup.