The Scaup: Close Up HD Footage (Aythya marila)

The Greater Scaup is a diving duck that loves spending time on the water. You'll often spot these chunky birds bobbing about on lakes and coastal waters, diving deep underwater to catch their food. The males are quite smart-looking, with dark green-black heads, pale grey backs, and bright white sides. Females are more plain, being mostly brown with a white patch near their bill. These ducks are brilliant swimmers and can dive down to about 7 metres to hunt for shellfish and water plants. In Britain, you're most likely to see them during winter when they visit our coasts, especially around Scotland and northern England. They're social birds and often gather in large groups called rafts. Sadly, their numbers have been dropping in recent years, which has got conservationists worried. While they're not tiny ducks, they're a bit smaller than the similar-looking Tufted Duck that's common in UK parks.

Learn more: https://binocularbase.com/bird/scaup/