Synonyms: American Scaup Duck, Bay Blackhead, Big Blackhead, Blue-Bill, GRSC.
Greater Scaup breed in the far north (Canada). They are seen in Maryland mainly during migration and in winter, in brackish bays. Both Greater Scaup and Lesser Scaup are diving ducks and are often considered sea ducks. Lesser Scaup are much more common in the Chesapeake Bay than are Greater Scaup, which gather in large flocks in the ocean far from shore (Lippson and Lippson, 2006).
Greater and Lesser Scaup can be difficult to differentiate from one another, especially when seen at a distance. The larger overall size and smoothly rounded head of the Greater Scaup help distinguish it from the Lesser Scaup, which has a peaked crown. Also, seen up close, the Greater Scaup has a slightly larger bill, with a wider black tip. In both species, the female is brown, with a white patch at the base of the bill.
Scaup raft up in the more open waters of the Bay.
In the lower, saltier parts of the Bay and its tributaries, both Scaup species tend to feed on mollusks, insects, and crustaceans, whereas in less salty parts of the system, they feed more on vegetation, such as seeds, pondweeds, wild celery (American Eelgrass), and widgeon grass (Lippson and Lippson, 2006).
There are 339 records in the project database.
| GA | AL | WA | FR | CL | MO | HO | BA | BC | HA | CE | PG | AA | CV | CH | SM | KE | QA | CN | TA | DO | WI | SO | WO |
