Lesser Scaup

Status Uncommon transient, very rare in winter. Gilpin (1880) referred to a mounted specimen without giving details, and Piers (notes) examined a bird collected on 18 February 1898. Downs (1888) mentioned a very doubtful "brood of young ones at Grand Lake." It was thought, perhaps more reliably, to be uncommon on Sable Island in winter at the turn of the century (McLaren 1981a). A specimen taken on 27 October 1917 near Truro is in the Nova Scotia Museum. In more recent years, it has been occasional in autumn, the earliest on 15 September 1944, with most records from October and November, and a few during Christmas Bird Counts from Cape Breton Island to Lunenburg County. A group of seven at Pictou on 16 January 1975 was well studied by Stuart Tingley, and another was reported at Lingan, Cape Breton County, on 18 January 1980 by Hedley Hopkins. There have been some 18 reports of about 45 birds in spring, between 23 March and 31 May.

Description Length: 38-46 cm. All plumages: Similar in general appearance to the Greater Scaup, but the area of white in the wing of this bird is more restricted than in that of its larger relative and does not extend far onto the primaries. Adult male: The head shows mainly purplish reflections instead of the mainly green ones of the Greater Scaup.

Range Breeds from Alaska to the west coast of Hudson Bay, south to southern British Columbia, northern Wyoming and North Dakota, casually further south and east. Winters from southern British Columbia, the Great Lakes and New England, south to Mexico, the Gulf States and West Indies.

Remarks The "little blue-bill" as this duck is known to some, is a more inland species than the Greater Scaup. It is exclusively a North American species with a wide distribution. Because it is not always readily identified, some supposed records may be in error. On the other hand, it may be more regular than the records suggest. In all plumages, the crown of this bird is more peaked, differing from the more rounded head of the Greater Scaup.