Answer to the scaup quiz

by - February 13, 2012 - General Info, quiz birds - 3 comments

And the answer to yesterday’s video quiz is….

LESSER SCAUP!

However, the results of the voting were a statistical tie!

Lesser Scaup   – 32 votes
Greater Scaup – 31 votes
not sure – 2 votes

But why is it a Lesser Scaup??

Well, this was a very tough case indeed. And it goes to show that scaup are actually easier to ID when they are relaxed. This bird was actively foraging and diving, and the crown did not appear as peaked as it otherwise could have, given that its crown feathers weren’t very puffed up. However, you can still get a sense of a notch at the back of the crown, where it would otherwise be more peaked. Lesser’s also have a larger/taller head size, in proportion to their body. Additionally, the barring pattern on the scapulars is courser than on a Greater. Although not always helpful in an ID situation, it’s useful to recall that Lesser Scaup should be the “default” scaup species on small freshwater ponds. Greater should be thought of as the default species on brackish or saltwater habitats.

But this serves as a reminder to acknowledge the limitations of our ID abilities, as well as take any opportunities to study a cooperative bird at length.

To see the video again, click here. Thanks for playing!

Andy McGann

Birding since the young age of 10, Andy has now finished his graduate studies at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, with an M.S. in biology and a thesis on overwintering Rusty Blackbirds. While getting his B.S. at Villanova in Biology and Env. Studies, Andy worked several years on the field crew for the PA Breeding Bird Atlas as well as doing goshawk surveys in Idaho. Andy was also the first intern at the Ned Smith Center in 2007, banding saw-whet owls during that huge irruption year. A top-notch birder, he once placed second in the World Series of Birding with several other members of the Breeding Bird Atlas crew.

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