Lesser Scaup
Aythya affinis
- Family
- Ducks, Swans, and Geese (Anatidae)
- Order
- Anseriformes
Overview
The lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) is a small North American diving duck that migrates south as far as Central America in winter. It is colloquially known as the little bluebill or broadbill because of its distinctive blue bill. The origin of the name scaup may stem from the bird's preference for feeding on scalp—the Scottish word for clams, oysters, and mussels; however, some credit it to the female's discordant scaup call as the name's source. It is apparently a very close relative of the Holarctic greater scaup or "bluebill" (A. marila), with which it forms a superspecies.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Breeds North America from northern Alaska and western Canada southward through northern California, southern Colorado, and Minnesota (USA); winters to Hawaiian Islands, the Caribbean, and northern South America.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Continents
Countries
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Canada
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Denmark
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- French Guiana
- Germany
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Jamaica
- Mauritania
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Poland
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United States
- Venezuela
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Lesser scaup
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
