Birds of Concern: Lesser Scaup

Lesser Scaup

Lesser Scaup are freshwater diving ducks that, in migration, prefer smaller lakes, ponds, and coastal, resting on flats, mudbars, ice, and other areas with little or no emergent vegetation. Lesser Scaup scaup feed primarily on molluscs, commonly blue mussels, dwarf surf clams, and oysters. Those in tidal freshwater areas also ingest plant material.

Areas of Concern:

• Human activity in the forms of boating, hunting, and fishing may disturb scaup.
• Ice formation in bays and harbors redistribute scaup away from otherwise preferred areas.
• Since the 1980's, Minnesota lakes and wetlands have become unproductive and offer insufficient nutrition to maintain female scaup in peak condition.
• The abundance and quality of amphipods, which female scaup feed on, has declined dramatically in the past twenty years. The amphipods are disappearing and so are the scaup numbers.
• http://www.fws.gov/r5gomp/gom/habitatstudy/metadata/scaup_model.htm
• http://www.fws.gov/midwest/FergusFallsWetland/documents/news/scaup_decline.pdf