Texas Waterfowl

Lesser Scaup

97 APPEARANCE Breeding: Adult males have a black head, neck, breast, rump, and tail. Their head has a round appearance and generally has greenish iridescence. Their back is pale gray and becomes darker toward the rump. Their sides are whitish and their belly is white.The head and neck of adult females typically vary from buff to dark brown but can even be black with a greenish sheen like those of males. They have a white area on the front of their head near the bill. Occasionally, they may have scattered white feathers on the back of their head and neck. Their breast is dark brown, and their back, sides, rump, and tail are brown. Their belly is white. Bill color in males is pale blue, and in females, slaty. In Long Island Sound adult males and females averaged 2.3 and 2.1 pounds, respectively, during winter. Nonbreeding: In adult males, the chin and forward portion of their head are light brown, and the remainder of their head and neck is blackish brown. Unlike females, males typically do not have white on the forward portion of their head. The remainder of their plumage is like that of females. The nonbreeding plumage of adult females is similar in appearance to their breeding plumage. SOURCES introduction: Custer and Custer 1996; Ross et al. 2005; Badzinski and Petrie 2006. texas distribution : Pulich 1988; Seyffert 2001; White 2002; Lockwood and Freeman 2004; Eubanks et al. 2006. texas harvest: Kruse 2007. population status: Bellrose 1980; NAWMP 2004; USFWS 2011. diet: Stieglitz 1966; Wahle and Barclay 1993; Kessel et al. 2002; Badzinski and Petrie 2006. range and habitats: Boyd 1974; Bellrose 1980; Gooders and Boyer 1986; Reed et al. 1992; Wormington and Leach 1992; Fournier and Hines 2001; Kessel et al. 2002; Badzinski and Petrie 2006; Flint et al. 2006. reproduction: Weller 1959; Hildén 1964; Weller et al. 1969; Palmer 1976a; Bellrose 1980; Kessel et al. 2002; Flint 2003; Flint et al. 2006. appearance: Billard and Humphrey 1972; Kessel et al. 2002. LESSER SCAUP Aythya affinis Population numbers of Lesser Scaup have been trending downward since the mid-1980s. Reasons for this trend are unknown , but lipid levels of spring migrants in the upper Midwest (Iowa, Minnesota, and North Dakota) declined during this same period, suggesting habitats they encounter during migration are in poor condition. Additionally, recent studies of Lesser Scaup conducted in the boreal forest have documented low breeding propensity and low nest success, which suggest multiple factors may be contributing to their decline. diving ducks 98 TEXAS DISTRIBUTION Breeding: Lesser Scaup are rare in summer. There are breeding records from Bailey County (Muleshoe NWR) and Swisher County. The two records are from 1942 and 1977, respectively. Migration: Lesser Scaup occur throughout Texas during migration. They arrive in the High Plains in late October or early November. They are rather uncommon in the High Plains during winter. In northeast Texas, including portions of the Post Oak Savannah–Blackland Prairies, the first migrants arrive in late October, and they become increasingly common in November. Fall migrants arrive on the Coastal Prairies in October. Numbers in the Coastal Prairies increase greatly during November and remain high through March. They often remain on the Coastal Prairies and in northeast Texas into April and early May. Most are gone from the High Plains by April. Winter: From 2000 to 2008, Lesser Scaup averaged 136,543 during the Texas Midwinter Waterfowl Survey. Greater Scaup numbers are included in the Mid-winter Waterfowl Survey estimate, but they likely account for only a small percentage of the birds observed. Lesser Scaup are most common in the Coastal Prairies and South Texas Brush Country but may occur statewide during winter (TPWD unpublished). TEXAS HARVEST From 1999 to 2006, harvest in Texas averaged 30,655 annually. This was about 10 percent of their estimated annual US harvest. Lesser Scaup (male). Photograph by Trey Barron, February 22, 2008, Amarillo, Potter County, Texas. 99 LONGEVITY The longevity record for a wild Lesser Scaup is 18 years, four months. POPULATION STATUS Although abundant, their long-term trend is decreasing. In the Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey, Lesser and Greater Scaup are combined because of their similarity in appearance. Between 1955 and 2011 their peak population was 8 million. In 2011 their combined population was 4.3 million. About 89 percent of this estimate was Lesser Scaup. The North American Waterfowl Management Plan...