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| Text by Marwa Fahim & Randii Cavanaugh; Magee Marsh, Ohio; May 2011 |
Greater Scaup The Greater Scaup is medium sized with a round head. They are sexually dimorphic, males look different from the females. The male has a black head, chest, rear end and gray sides. The female is dull brown; with a white patch on face at the base of the bill. Sometimes an older female will have the same color and patterns on the back as the male birds do. Male and female calls are different. Females make a horse-like sound and the male makes a whistling sound. The bird is a winter resident in Northern Virginia, when they are usually found on lakes, ponds, and bays. When the bird nests, it's not in a the tree but rather a bowl-shaped depression in the ground. Greater Scaups eat a lot things such as clams, snails, crustaceans, aquatic, insects, seeds, and aquatic plants. They dive under the water to capture food. |