Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis)
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.
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 14 recordings for this species: 2 CC BY-NC-SA · 1 CC BY-NC-ND. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in Canada, France, United States in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Related species you can hear
- Common PochardAythya ferinarecording
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collarisrecording
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligularecording
This species has no recording here yet — these relatives do, so you can hear what the family sounds like.