The Greater Scaup is a large diving duck that winters on coastal bays in enormous rafts. Separating it from the Lesser Scaup is one of the most challenging identification problems in North American birding; the Greater has a rounder head profile and more extensive white on the wing stripe. It dives deep for mollusks in coastal bays.
Best time to see a Greater Scaup
The best time to see a Greater Scaup is January–March, when about 61% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 14,311 research-grade iNaturalist observations.
Not certain it is a Greater Scaup? What bird is this? walks through what to check first and the lookalikes that catch people out.
Recent Greater Scaup sightings near you
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