#0807 · 🐦 birds

Lesser Scaup

🇳🇱 Kleine Topper ·Aythya affinis

LCleast concern 🐦 Birds 📍 in the Netherlands

10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences

what is it?

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...

base stats

NL sightings 20iNaturalist, research grade
worldwide 53,466iNaturalist observations
weight 825 gadult, up to
threat LCleast concern

Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).