Lesser Scaup
Learn to identify the Lesser Scaup by ear. Master the "soft purrrr-witz" phrase and tell it apart from similar species.
What the Lesser Scaup sounds like
The Lesser Scaup is a medium-sized diving duck most often seen bobbing in dense, rafting flocks on open water. Males in breeding plumage sport a glossy black head that can shimmer violet or green in the right light, a finely barred gray back, and a crisp black rear, while females are warm brown with a distinct whitish patch at the base of the bill. Agile underwater pursuit hunters, they can dive more than 20 feet to pluck prey from muddy lake bottoms.
“soft purrrr-witz”
How to tell it apart
Where you'll hear it
Breeds across the northern Prairie Pothole Region and boreal forest of North America. Winters from the southern United States through Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America, with concentrations along both coasts and the Gulf of Mexico.
Prefers large freshwater lakes, prairie potholes, reservoirs, and broad rivers during the breeding season; shifts to coastal bays, estuaries, and sheltered saltwater in winter.
Strongly migratory: heads north in March–May to nest; southbound migration peaks September–November; gathers in huge wintering rafts through February.
Similar species
Greater Scaup
Broader, rounded head profile without peak.
Ring-necked Duck
Shows vertical white bar at base of gray bill.
Tufted Duck (vagrant)
Male sports a long drooping crest at rear crown.