Bird Sightings: Greater Scaup

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Bird Sightings : Hebrides : Greater Scaup

Greater Scaup (Scaup)

Aythya marila

Gaelic: Lach-mhara

Photograph © Debbie Bozkurt
Coot Loch - Benbecula - Outer Hebrides (Western Isles)
18th February, 2007

The bird on the left is a tufted duck, the other two are both male greater scaup, note the grey pattern on the back of the adult in the centre, at this time there were also two lesser scaup on coot loch.

I asked John Dempsey about distinguishing between the lesser scaup and scaup (greater)::

"Lesser Scaup are tricky - and some folk down here think I have got it wrong on my two pix (and they may well be right!), but basically they are smaller than Common Scaup, a lot less broad in the beam, with a smaller black nail on the bill. They ride higher in the water than most diving ducks as they're so small, and the head should show an angled rear crown, with a little peak. The bill should be concave and not as big as on a Scaup, and the white flanks shouldn't be the glaring white of a Common Scaup. The wing pattern is different too - but you have to get a good view to see that. The bird I watched was about the same size, or smaller than nearby Tufted Ducks, but the weather was pretty lousy... "

See those photographs at John's blog

"2 males (scaup) on Coot Loch and 2 lesser scaup, amongst about 300 birds on a very small out of the way Loch, needle in a hay stack!...."

Thanks Debbie and Brian

" Lessers have a very small amount of black at the tip, and a more concave shape bill, most so at the base.... the highest point of head is at the rear, and much more sloped at the front.....males flank feathers have fine grey vermiculations giving a clouded greyish appearance. (rear flank striping usually courser and visable.).... upper parts darker than greater scaup and more coarsely vermiculated...they sit higher in the water.."

based on Neill Hunt's notes

Terry Fountain sent us in several photographs taken of ducks on Coot Loch on the 18th March, 2007 including lesser scaup and scaup have a look if you would like the challenge of telling one from the other...

See a photograph of a lesser scaup

Debbie's online photo album

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