Lesser Scaup

Aythya affinis

The Lesser Scaup is a small duck with a round head and a beautiful blue bill. They love to swim in lakes and ponds, diving underwater to find tasty plants and small fish.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Lesser Scaup is a medium-sized diving duck. Males have a dark, purplish-glossed head, a grey back, and bright white sides. Females are duller brown with a distinct white patch at the base of their bill and a dark crown, making them visually different from similar ducks.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassAvesOrderAnseriformesFamilyAnatidaeGenusAythya

Lesser Scaup

Interesting facts

Male Lesser Scaups perform a special head-toss display to attract a mate!

Some Lesser Scaups travel over 5,000 kilometers each year during their amazing migrations.

They are nicknamed "bluebills" because their unique bill often has a bluish-grey color!

They use their strong, flat bills like shovels to pry mussels and snails from the lakebed.

Special abilities

Lesser Scaup can dive up to 20 feet because of their dense bones and powerful webbed feet that help them reach underwater food.

Lesser Scaup has excellent underwater eyesight that helps them spot tiny mussels and aquatic insects in murky waters.

Lesser Scaup can gather in huge groups, called rafts, that helps them stay safe from predators and find food together.

Measurements & details

Length: 38-48 cm
Wingspan: 68-76 cm
Weight: 0.7-1.2 kg
Lifespan: 5-18 years
Top Speed: 70 km/h
Clutch Size: 6-15
Incubation: 21-27 days
Migration Distance: 5000 km

Diet & Feeding

They dive deep to feast on tasty shellfish and aquatic bugs from the bottom of lakes and ponds.

Age differences: Ducklings primarily eat aquatic insects, while adults consume more mollusks and some plant matter.

Primary Foods

Freshwater Mussels
Snails
Aquatic Insect Larvae
Small Crustaceans
Aquatic Plant Seeds

Foraging Method

Pursuit

Ecological connections

eats

Zebra Mussel

Dreissena polymorpha

A major invasive food source

eats

Freshwater Mussel

Lampsilis siliquoidea

Key part of their natural diet

eaten by

Bald Eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Often preys on adult ducks

eaten by

American Mink

Mustela vison

Raids nests and eats ducklings

eats

Giant Water Beetle

Hydrophilus triangularis

Eats larvae of this species

Traits

Feathered

Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers.

Webbed Feet

Characterized by having toes connected by a membrane, typically aiding in swimming.

Social

Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.

Filter Feeder

Filter feeders obtain nutrients by straining suspended food particles and small organisms from water.

Piscivorous

Piscivorous organisms are animals that primarily subsist on a diet of fish.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.