Synonyms: Blue-Bill, Brass-eyed Blackhead, LESC, Little Blackhead, Small Blackhead.
Lesser Scaup, like Greater Scaup, are diving ducks. Lesser Scaup breed mostly in Canada and occur in Maryland mainly during migration and in winter. They raft up in large flocks in winter in sheltered bays and inlets.
Note the peaked crown of the head, the thin nail (tip of bill), and, in the male, the traditionally cited purple gloss on the head. However, note that gloss color (green=Greater, purple=Lesser) is not considered a reliable field mark on its own. Female is brown overall, with a bold white patch at the base of the bill.
Lesser Scaup are much more common in the Chesapeake Bay than are Greater Scaup. A good place to find wintering Lesser Scaup is at the Oakley Street waterfront on the Choptank River, in Cambridge, Dorchester County, Maryland. Large rafts can also sometimes be found in the Potomac River south of Washington, DC.
There are 538 records in the project database.
| GA | AL | WA | FR | CL | MO | HO | BA | BC | HA | CE | PG | AA | CV | CH | SM | KE | QA | CN | TA | DO | WI | SO | WO |
