Scaup
The Greater Scaup, or just Scaup in Europe, is a medium sized diving duck in the genus Aythya.
The adult Scaup is 15 to 22 inches in length with a 28 to 33 inches wingspan and it is 20% heavier and 10% longer than the closely related Lesser Scaup. The adult male has a dark head with a green sheen, blue bill and yellow eyes, a glossy black neck, breast and tail, a light back, vermiculated grey lower flanks and a bright white belly. The upper wing has a white stripe starting as the speculum and extending along the flight feathers to the wingtip. The male is larger and has a more rounded head than the female. The adult female has a brown body and head, with white wing markings similar to those of the male but slightly duller. It has a white band and brown oval shaped patches at the base of the bill which is a slightly duller shade of blue than the male's. Juveniles look similar to adult females.
The Scaup has a circumpolar distribution and it breeds within the Arctic Circle both in the Old World (the Palearctic) and in north America (the Nearctic). In the summer months it can be found in Alaska, Siberia and the northern parts of Europe. It is also found in Asia and is present in the Aleutian Islands all year round.
The Scaup breeds in marshy lowland tundra and islands in fresh water lakes. Males have a soft, quick whistle which they use to attract the attention of females during courtship which takes place from late winter to early spring on the way back to their northern breeding grounds. The courtship is complex and results in the formation of monogamous pairs. Pairs nest in close proximity to each other in large colonies, usually near water, on an island or shoreline or on a raft of floating vegetation. The nest consists of a shallow depression made by the female and lined with her down. After the female lays the eggs, the male abandons the female and moves with other males to a large, isolated lake to moult. These lakes can be close to the breeding grounds or miles away. The female lays 6 to 9 eggs which she incubates for 24 to 28 days. Newly hatched chicks are covered with down and are soon able to walk, swim and feed themselves. However, they are not able to fly until 40 to 45 days after hatching and they follow their mother who protects them from predators.
In the autumn, Scaup start their migration south for the winter. During the winter months it can be found in large flocks in coastal bays and estuaries along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of north America, the coasts of north west Europe, the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea, the coast of Japan, the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea.
In Europe, the Scaup breeds in Iceland, along the northern coasts of Scandinavia, in the Baltic Sea and in areas close to the Arctic Ocean in Russia. These birds spend the winter in the UK (primarily on estuaries in north England and central Scotland but also occasionally on lakes and reservoirs elsewhere), west Norway, south Sweden, the coast from Brittany in France to Poland, the eastern Adriatic Sea, the north and west Black Sea and the south west Caspian Sea.
The Scaup dives up to 20 feet to obtain food which it then eats on the surface. It mainly eats molluscs, aquatic plants and aquatic insects.
Although the Scaup faces numerous threats, the most significant challenge to their survival is habitat degradation caused by a mix of human development, run-off of organochloride contaminants and oil and sewage pollution. Since the 1980s, the population has been steadily decreasing although it still rated as a species of “least concern” by the IUCN.
Date: 6th July 2019
Location: near Gednje, Varanger peninsula, Troms og Finnmark, Norway
The adult Scaup is 15 to 22 inches in length with a 28 to 33 inches wingspan and it is 20% heavier and 10% longer than the closely related Lesser Scaup. The adult male has a dark head with a green sheen, blue bill and yellow eyes, a glossy black neck, breast and tail, a light back, vermiculated grey lower flanks and a bright white belly. The upper wing has a white stripe starting as the speculum and extending along the flight feathers to the wingtip. The male is larger and has a more rounded head than the female. The adult female has a brown body and head, with white wing markings similar to those of the male but slightly duller. It has a white band and brown oval shaped patches at the base of the bill which is a slightly duller shade of blue than the male's. Juveniles look similar to adult females.
The Scaup has a circumpolar distribution and it breeds within the Arctic Circle both in the Old World (the Palearctic) and in north America (the Nearctic). In the summer months it can be found in Alaska, Siberia and the northern parts of Europe. It is also found in Asia and is present in the Aleutian Islands all year round.
The Scaup breeds in marshy lowland tundra and islands in fresh water lakes. Males have a soft, quick whistle which they use to attract the attention of females during courtship which takes place from late winter to early spring on the way back to their northern breeding grounds. The courtship is complex and results in the formation of monogamous pairs. Pairs nest in close proximity to each other in large colonies, usually near water, on an island or shoreline or on a raft of floating vegetation. The nest consists of a shallow depression made by the female and lined with her down. After the female lays the eggs, the male abandons the female and moves with other males to a large, isolated lake to moult. These lakes can be close to the breeding grounds or miles away. The female lays 6 to 9 eggs which she incubates for 24 to 28 days. Newly hatched chicks are covered with down and are soon able to walk, swim and feed themselves. However, they are not able to fly until 40 to 45 days after hatching and they follow their mother who protects them from predators.
In the autumn, Scaup start their migration south for the winter. During the winter months it can be found in large flocks in coastal bays and estuaries along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of north America, the coasts of north west Europe, the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea, the coast of Japan, the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea.
In Europe, the Scaup breeds in Iceland, along the northern coasts of Scandinavia, in the Baltic Sea and in areas close to the Arctic Ocean in Russia. These birds spend the winter in the UK (primarily on estuaries in north England and central Scotland but also occasionally on lakes and reservoirs elsewhere), west Norway, south Sweden, the coast from Brittany in France to Poland, the eastern Adriatic Sea, the north and west Black Sea and the south west Caspian Sea.
The Scaup dives up to 20 feet to obtain food which it then eats on the surface. It mainly eats molluscs, aquatic plants and aquatic insects.
Although the Scaup faces numerous threats, the most significant challenge to their survival is habitat degradation caused by a mix of human development, run-off of organochloride contaminants and oil and sewage pollution. Since the 1980s, the population has been steadily decreasing although it still rated as a species of “least concern” by the IUCN.
Date: 6th July 2019
Location: near Gednje, Varanger peninsula, Troms og Finnmark, Norway
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Also in: North Norway
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