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The greater scaup (Aythya marila), just scaup in Europe or, colloquially, "bluebill" in North America, [3] is a mid-sized diving duck, larger than the closely related lesser scaup and tufted duck. It spends the summer months breeding in Iceland , east across Scandinavia , northern Russia and Siberia , Alaska , and northern Canada .
This group of ducks is so named because its members feed mainly by diving, although in fact the Netta species are reluctant to dive, and feed more like dabbling ducks. These are gregarious ducks, mainly found on fresh water or on estuaries, though the greater scaup becomes marine during the northern winter. They are strong fliers; their broad ...
Hybrids between lesser scaup and ring-necked ducks are recognizable by very dark wings contrasting with a light grey underside more than in the lesser scaup but less than in the ring-necked duck. Hybrids between the lesser scaup and the redhead (A. americana) are recognizable by the lack of contrast between wings and belly and the dull brownish ...
Aythya is a genus of diving ducks, with twelve species currently accepted. [2] The genus was described in 1822 by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie , with the type species being greater scaup . [ 3 ] [ 4 ] The name Aythya comes from the Ancient Greek word αἴθυιᾰ ( aithuia ), which referred to an unknown diving-bird.
The word duck comes from Old English dūce 'diver', a derivative of the verb *dūcan 'to duck, bend down low as if to get under something, or dive', because of the way many species in the dabbling duck group feed by upending; compare with Dutch duiken and German tauchen 'to dive'.
This group is then sister to the monophyletic group consisting of the white-eyes (hardhead, Madagascar pochard, and the sister species ferruginous duck and baer's pochard) and scaups (New Zealand scaup, ring-necked duck, tufted duck, greater scaup, lesser scaup). [5]
Scaup is the common name for three species of diving duck: Greater scaup, or just "scaup", Aythya marila;
The New Zealand scaup (Aythya novaeseelandiae), also known as the black teal (or pāpango in Māori), is a diving duck species of the genus Aythya endemic to New Zealand. [2] They weigh around 650 grams (23 oz) and measure around 40 centimetres (16 in), and have dark-coloured plumage. They are found throughout New Zealand in deep natural and ...