| New Zealand Scaup (Aythya novaeseelandiae (Gmelin, 1789)) |
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Scientific name: Aythya novaeseelandiae (Gmelin, 1789) Common name: New Zealand Scaup Other names: Maori name: Papango. French name: Fuligule de Nouvelle-Zélande Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Size: Body size: 40 to 46 cm; Weight: 550 to 750 g; Wingspan: About 60 cm. Habitat: Freshwater lakes, reservoirs and slow rivers. Food: The New Zealand Scaup is a diving duck that searches for food underwater. It feeds on molluscs, aquatic insects, crustaceans, small fish and plants. Nesting: The nest is a small cup on the ground in the vegetation at the water's edge. Clutches are 4 to 8 eggs. Migration: Sedentary. Geographic area: Endemic to New Zealand. |
The New Zealand Scaup is a small diving duck with a compact body and a rounded head with a vertical forehead. Males have black heads, necks and backs. The sides are blackish brown. There are bluish-black sheens on the head and wings. The bill is bluish grey with a black tip. The eye is yellow. The legs are black. The underside of the wings is light in colour. The upper part is very dark and has a white wing band and a dark trailing edge. Females are uniformly dark brown in colour. The eye is brown. Half of them have small white marks at the base of the bill. |
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Is it by chance but looking at all my photos of New Zealand Scaup I only find males. I may have been attracted by their bright, contrasting plumage. |
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Photos of shy birds almost always show them from behind. This front view indicates that New Zealand Scaups are not shy birds. |
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Short nap on the clear waters of Lake Wakatipu. |
André Bon April 2024