The lesser scaup, on the other hand, has heavier barring that frequently extends lower on the white flanks-The wings. Birds like sparrows, gulls and warblers all present their own challenges when it comes to identification. Identification review – Lesser Scaup 39 & 40. Most often, these ducks are seen from afar in large "rafts" of… In the case of waterfowl, one of the trickiest IDs can be the differentiation of Greater and Lesser Scaup. Lesser Scaup: Photo by Nels Nelson, Macaulay Library at Cornell Lab (ML132519791), 1 January 2019; Greater Scaup: Photo by Frank Pinilla, Macaulay Library at Cornell Lab (ML91137711), 16 February 2018. Learning how to identify birds can be tricky. This is also borne out in Minnesota eBird records for the two: lesser scaup vs. greater scaup. Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis. Greater scaup prefer large open water areas; lesser scaup often use marshes and ponds. More supportive is that the white shading doesn’t extend to the wing tips, rather it seems to halt about mid-wing where it seems to blend to gray/brown. Heads, wings, and feet of Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) and Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) were obtained from 365 birds killed by hunters to investigate differences in structural size and in the intensity and extent of the white wing stripe.Twelve morphological measurements were taken on each bird and wing stripes were quantitatively scored using soil colour charts. by Greg Hanisek, editor of The Connecticut Warbler Where To Find Them: Both species can be found in saltwater and freshwater, although neither is numerous on freshwater in Connecticut. Figure 10. Birds like sparrows, gulls and warblers all present their own challenges when it comes to identification. Female Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis,Cleethorpes Country Park, Lincolnshire,April 1999 (39) and female Greater Scaup A.marila,Seaforth, Merseyside,November 1998 (40).Female Lesser Scaup is more difficult to identify than the male,and confusion is more likely to occur with female Tufted Today we saw our first northern shovelers of the season (boldly colored ducks with enormous bills), and a belted kingfisher. Male Lesser Scaups in basic plumage. Figure 9. Note the rounder head of the Greater Scaup with the peak of the head being farther forward. The bird is smaller in size than the Greater Scaup. Females, juveniles and drakes in eclipse plumage are hard to identify; there is considerable overlap in length between the two species, but greater scaup are usually noticeably more bulky. See the comparative range maps: lesser scaup vs. greater scaup. Adult male Greater Scaup in breeding plumage have a black head with a glossy green sheen while the Lesser Scaup generally has a black head with a purplish glossy sheen although it … Greater Scaup Aythya marila. Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis. I believe this is the best separation clue used by sea-watch counters for scaup in flight. by Greg Hanisek, editor of The Connecticut Warbler Where To Find Them: Both species can be found in saltwater and freshwater, although neither is numerous on freshwater in Connecticut. Lesser Scaup migrate late in the season, when lakes freeze, and travel nocturnally in flocks. Learning how to identify birds can be tricky. Greater Scaup and Lesser Scaup identification: The larger Greater Scaup (Aythya Marila) has a much more rounded head when compared with the Lesser Scaup (Aythya Affinis) which has a small tuft at its hind crown. Heads, wings, and feet of Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) and Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) were obtained from 365 birds killed by hunters to investigate differences in structural size and in the intensity and extent of the white wing stripe.Twelve morphological measurements were taken on each bird and wing stripes were quantitatively scored using soil colour charts. These remarkable pictures by Brian Currie offer a side-by-side comparison of a male Lesser and a male Greater Scaup. In the case of waterfowl, one of the trickiest IDs can be the differentiation of Greater and Lesser Scaup. 1].. In some animals they remain as separate bones called orbitosphenoids. Comparison of Greater and Lesser Scaup: Help with a challenging identification is here! The lesser wings of the sphenoid or orbito-sphenoids are two thin triangular plates, which arise from the upper and anterior parts of the body, and, projecting lateralward, end in sharp points [Fig. Lesser Scaup - Length: 16 inches Wing span: 25 inches. Gregarious in winter over large parts of the U.S., the abundant Lesser Scaup breeds primarily in boreal forest regions of Canada. Wing pattern of adult male Lesser and Greater Scaups. Up close, the drake lesser scaup's head has a purplish iridescence, while the sheen on the greater scaup's head is green. Except for the wing marks, greater and lesser scaup appear nearly identical in the field. These remarkable pictures by Brian Currie offer a side-by-side comparison of a male Lesser and a male Greater Scaup. … Lesser scaup are often hard to distinguish from the greater scaup when direct comparison is not possible, but in North America a large scaup flock will often have both species present. Comparison of Greater and Lesser Scaup: Help with a challenging identification is here!