Greater Scaup

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Habitat and behaviour

Habitat: Coastal bays (winter).
Diet: Molluscs.
Best time to spot: Like Tufted but no crest, paler back.

When to look

A winter visitor, typically in the UK from October through to March. Numbers peak in January. See the January birding guide for what else is about. More on the season in UK winter wildfowl.

Taller bars mean more birds about. Grey means it is usually absent.

How rare is it?

The Greater Scaup sits in our Rare tier for the UK: scarce or very local, so most birders need a planned trip. It is Red-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern 5, the highest level of concern in the UK. It is protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, so it is an offence to disturb it at or near the nest. We blur the location of every sighting of this species.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Ring-necked DuckRare · Lakes (winter vagrant)
• Lesser ScaupRare · Reservoirs (vagrant)
• Ferruginous DuckRare · Lakes (very rare vagrant)
• CanvasbackLegendary · Lakes (extreme vagrant)
• Common PochardUncommon · Reservoirs
• RedheadLegendary · Lakes (extreme vagrant)

Kit that helps

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