Greater scaup: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the greater scaup lives – recorded in 38 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Aythya marila
Group	Ducks, geese & swans
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	38 countries
Continents	Asia, Europe, North America
Class	Bird
Order	Anseriformes
Family	Anatidae

Where does the greater scaup live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the greater scaup in 38 countries and territories across Asia, Europe and North America. Wikidata gives its range as: Africa.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the greater scaup endangered?

The greater scaup’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the greater scaup?

The greater scaup (Aythya marila) is a bird in the order Anseriformes and the family Anatidae, genus Aythya. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the greater scaup

The greater scaup (Aythya marila), just scaup in Europe or, colloquially, "bluebill" in North America, 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. During the winter, it migrates south to the coasts of Europe, eastern Asia, and North America.

Male greater scaup average slightly larger than the females but with much overlap; they have a light blue-grey bill and yellow eyes. Their heads are dark, with a green to purple (depending on light angle) gloss; the breast is black, the belly white, the upperparts pale grey, and the wing shows a strong white stripe. The females are mostly brown, again with white on the wing. They have dull blue bills and a white patch on the face.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Greater scaup (revision 1380718575), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q26635 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).