The Greater Scaup, scientifically known as Aythya marila, is a diving duck. In Europe, they are known as scaup, Bluebill in North America. It is believed that the name of the bird has been derived from a Scottish and Northern English, Scalp, which means shellfish bed. Also, the duck might have drawn its name from the way it vocalizes its mating call “Scaup scaup”. These ducks have a wingspan of 28 inches and they are 18 inches in length, weighing about 2.3 pounds.
Let’s get to the depth and learn more about this interesting waterfowl, Greater Scaup.
Location
The duck is found in many continents including Europe, North America, and Asia. During the breeding season, they are found in the Arctic Circle, and during summer, they prefer to stay in Alaska, northern parts of Europe, and Siberia, where they inhabit the wooden tundra, marshy lowland tundra, and islands around fresh water. During winter, they migrate to the South and prefer to stay near the estuaries, coastal bays, and inland lakes.
Appearance
The Great scaup shows a significant difference between the males and females. The male ducks have a green sheen, with a dark head, lighter back, black tail, and black breast with a white underside. The male duck has a glossy black neck, breast, and tail features and the upper wings have white strips. For both males and females, the legs and feet are grey. On the other hand, the female duck appears to have a brown head with white markings on the wings and a dull color. At the base of the bill, it has a white band and oval-shaped brown patches. The young ones resemble the female Great scaup.
Lifestyle
These Greater Scaup are seen forming large groups with thousands of birds or more. They prefer to be active during the day and are highly social. They also get their food from the water by diving in, up to 20 ft, with the help of their webbed feet, so other ducks stay away from the competition as they fail to dive deep. These waterfowl also gather their food resources from the surface of the water. Being omnivorous, these birds feed on aquatic plants, aquatic insects, mollusks, and small crustaceans.
Breeding Habits
The Greater Scaup are monogamous birds and they form a pair for a lifetime. The males try to attract the female during the mating season, using a soft and quick whistle, during the later winter or early spring. After forming pairs, they are seen to nest near other pairs and this forms a colony. The nests are usually built near water bodies or shorelines or on a raft of floating vegetation. The incubation period is 24 to 28 days and the female duck lays around 6 to 9 eggs, which are olive or buffed coloured. The ducklings take around 40 to 45 days to be able to fly on their own, otherwise right after hatching, they can walk, swim, and also find their own food. The breeding age for these ducks is when they turn 2 years old.
Present Status
The Greater Scaup has been facing threats for many years and that has led to risk in survival. Their habitats are degrading to human development and runoff. They also face threats due to organochlorine contaminants, oil, and sewage pollution, and also get drowned after getting entangled in fishing nets. At present these species are listed under the Least Concern group but the numbers are running out at a steady speed these days.
What is The Difference Between Scaup and Greater Scaup?
The greater scaups are found to have light bands near the trailing edge of the wing which reaches the tip, whereas, for Lesser Scaups, the trailing edge of the wing runs only halfway. Also, comparatively, the Greater Scaup is larger in size and has a flat head.
