 |
 |
| Male | Female |
Lesser Scaup
Photos by Bruce
Dayton
|
|
| Male | Female |
ORDER:
Anseriformes
FAMILY: Anatidae (Ducks and Geese - 52 Species)
SUB-FAMILY:
Anatinae
SPECIES:
Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)
CLICK - on any silver bar to
return to top of page
|
Lesser Scaup |
|
|
The Lesser Scaup is one of the most abundant diving ducks in the Northwest. It is very hard to accurately differentiate between the Lesser and Greater Scaup, though the Greater is a little larger and prefers salt water. The Lesser Scaup are more numerous and are believed to make up close to 90 percent of the entire Scaup population. |
|
|
SIZE |
The Lesser Scaup is a medium-sized (15-18") diving duck. |
| DESCRIPTION |
Adult males have a dark head with a purple iridescent sheen and yellow eyes and a blue-ray bill. They also have a black breast, a lighter colored back, a white bottom and a black tail. Adult females have a brown head and body, also with yellow eyes, and a white band at the base of the bill. |
| NESTING | Clutch size ranges from 8-10 eggs, which are incubated in 20-25 days. They normally nest on the ground, near water in a sheltered location of tall vegetation. The nest is a shallow bowl lined with grasses or other vegetation around the area. |
| RANGE | Breeds from Alaska and northern Canada south to Colorado. Spends winters regularly along both coasts south to the Gulf. |
| HABITAT | Preferred habitats include ponds and marshes. During migration, Lesser Scaups spend their time on rivers, lakes, and large wetlands. |
| DIET | They mainly eat aquatic invertebrates such as insect larvae, crustaceans, and mollusks and aquatic plants. |
| |
|
| Lesser Scaup | |
| Cayuga
Lake Cayuga County, New York |
|
 |
 |
| LScp_077B_025797 | LScp_077B_025801 |
| Union
Springs Cayuga County, New York |
|
 |
|
| LScp_077B_049870 | |
| |
|
| Wood
Pewee Drawing by Louis Agassiz Fuertes |
 |
| |
|
| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Vole |
| A vole is a small rodent resembling a mouse but with a stouter body, a shorter hairy tail, a slightly rounder head, and smaller ears and eyes. There is little to distinguish a vole from a lemming. Many carnivores such as wolves, owls, hawks, coyotes, foxes, weasels and cats eat voles. |
Return to
Birds
of North America
For Fine Art Scenic Prints
Visit FingerLakesFalls.com
|
Please email with any ideas or comments concerning this web page. |
| The images on this web page are copyrighted © 2003 - 2007 by Bruce Dayton. I want to share my photos to promote conservation and to help people identify and learn about the birds and other creatures that live with us on the North American continent. Please do not use any of my work in any non-profit or for-profit project without first getting written permission from me. You can ask for permission by emailing me at webmaster@wildlifeofnorthamerica.info. All reproductions must bear an appropriate credit. |
NOTE: This site will be updated as time and pictures become available.
Visit Mammals of North America
Lesser Scaup (
Aythya affinis )
Updated 10-20-2008