Greater scaup

The greater scaup (Aythya marila) is a salt-water duck found in the tundra regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Breeding areas include Alaska, Iceland and northern Europe and Asia. Its wintering areas include the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America, the British Isles, the Mediterranean and Black Seas, and coastal China and Japan. It is a gregarious bird, and large rafts of greater scaup can be seen on larger expanses of water.

Greater scaup are 17-20 inches (42-52 cm) long. Males and females are the same size.

The male greater scaup has a black head with a greenish tinge. The neck, breast, upper back and rump are black, with the belly and flanks being white. The upperparts are pale grey with wavy black stripes. The bill is pale blue with a black tip. The irises of the eyes are yellow. The feet and legs are greyish-blue.

The female greater scaup has a white patch at the base of the bill and a whitish spot on the side of the head. The body is mainly brown.

The greater scaup is silent in flight. The male has a soft courtship whistle and the female a growling “krrr” or “karr karr”.

Food is an equal mixture of molluscs and aquatic vegetation. 

The nest comprises a depression in the ground at a site quite close to water. Up to nine eggs are laid, these being incubated by the female for up to 28 days. 

© John Welford