Lesser scaup: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the lesser scaup lives – recorded in 30 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Aythya affinis
Group	Ducks, geese & swans
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	30 countries
Continents	Europe, North America, Oceania, South America
Mass	825 g (male organism, adult weight); 748 g (female organism, adult weight)
Class	Bird
Order	Anseriformes
Family	Anatidae

Where does the lesser scaup live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the lesser scaup in 30 countries and territories across Europe, North America, Oceania and South America. Wikidata gives its range as: Africa, South America. In Belgium it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

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.

How big is a lesser scaup?

Wikidata records the following for the lesser scaup: mass 825 g (male organism, adult weight); 748 g (female organism, adult weight).

Is the lesser scaup endangered?

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

What kind of animal is the lesser scaup?

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

About the lesser scaup

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. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek and Latin, with aithuia being an Ancient Greek term for an unidentified seabird, used by Hesychius and Aristotle, among other authors, and affinis, Latin for "related to", from the lesser scaup's resemblance to the greater scaup.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Lesser scaup (revision 1356839610), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q833243 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).