Widespread across the Northern Hemisphere, the Greater Scaup has attracted many names, including bluebill, blackhead, greyback, and shuffler."Scaup" may refer to the "scalps," or shellfish, that it eats, or to its call, "kaup! kaup!".This marine duck's heavy body, an advantage in diving, requires it to run over the water to become airborne. When flocks of Greater Scaup take flight, the water surface boils with their effort. The chaos of wings and rushing water can dazzle a predator—or a naturalist.

From Alaska's Seward Peninsula, the Greater Scaup breeds at scattered sites southeast across northern Canada. Significant numbers also breed along the east coast of Hudson Bay and on Canada's Ungava Peninsula. Greater Scaup winter along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Baja California, and along the Atlantic coast from Newfoundland to Florida, with most ducks ranging from Cape Cod to New Jersey. A significant population uses the Great Lakes until they freeze.

 

In Europe and Asia, the Greater Scaup breeds from Iceland through northern Russia and winters from the British Isles south and east through the inland seas and then along Asia's Pacific Coast.

 

A legend for the range map to the right can be found here.

In 2006, combined estimates of Greater and Lesser Scaup set a record low. Because these species cannot be identified separately from aircraft, most surveys simply count "scaup." Overall, scaup have declined significantly over the last 25 years. Christmas Bird Count data confirm this trend, indicating steady losses since 1942 for Greater Scaup. Estimating breeding Greater Scaup numbers has proven difficult, and shifts in distribution, possibly away from warming tundra, complicate the picture. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists the Greater Scaup as a "Game Bird Below Desired Condition" and a "Conservation Management Concern." The state of New York now considers it a species of "Greatest Conservation Need".

 

An explanation of the Annual Indices graph displayed to the right can be found here.

 

Because both Greater and Lesser Scaup continue to decline for unknown reasons, conservationists, game bird managers, governments, and hunters are becoming concerned. The record low count in 2006 was 37% lower than the long-term average. Accurate, yearly counts that separate Greater and Lesser Scaup are vital for monitoring this species.

 

Pollution has a significant impact on local Greater Scaup populations. Since the 1980s, mercury (linked to emissions from coal burning power plants) and selenium (a mining byproduct) are concentrating in the tissues of this marine duck. As they feed on an increasing number of filter feeding zebra mussels, the scaup may be ingesting more pollutants. In Long Island Sound during the winter of 1996 to1997, Greater Scaup tested above the Food and Drug Administration's limits for PCBs in poultry. The damage to human health caused by these pollutants is well documented, but the effects on Greater Scaup are mostly unknown.

Support efforts to lower mercury emissions that may poison waterfowl like the Greater Scaup, and share your concerns with your state and federal representatives.

 

Help provide for the protection of and research on Greater Scaup by purchasing a Federal Duck Stamp .

 

For more actions you can take, including Audubon activities, please visit our resources page.

Learn more about Greater Scaup through Ducks Unlimited.

 

Visit our resources page for more information about this species.

Nichols, Ted. "2006-07 Migratory Bird Season Information and Population Status." August 10, 2006. New Jersey Department of Fish and Wildlife.

 

Sibley, David Allen. The Sibley Guide to Birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 2000.