Friday's Foto

Sticking with my recent seabirds theme, here is a Greater Scaup. Known just as the "Scaup" in Europe, this circumpolar diving duck's breeding range includes Alaska, Northern Canada, Siberia, and Northern Europe.The similar Lesser Scaup creates some identification problems, but good looks at the head shape and bill should make separating the two species relatively easy. Here is a very concise article by Tony Leukering in "Colorado Birds" that compares the two species (it opens as a PDF file).