Lesser scaup

Aythya affinis

The Lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) is a bird found in United States and Canada. Lakes and marshes across North America. It eats leaves and other plant parts, seeds and nuts and insects and other small invertebrates. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Aythya affinis
Region	North America
Found in	United States and Canada

🏡 Where the Lesser scaup lives

Lakes and marshes across North America.

🍽️ What it eats

🌿 Leaves & plants50%
🌰 Seeds & nuts30%
🐛 Insects & bugs20%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It is nicknamed the "little bluebill" for its blue beak.

Hear the Lesser scaup

Recorded by Stanislas Wroza (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1019875. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Lesser scaup

Where does the Lesser scaup live?

The Lesser scaup lives in United States and Canada. Lakes and marshes across North America.

What does the Lesser scaup eat?

leaves and other plant parts (about 50%), seeds and nuts (about 30%), insects and other small invertebrates (about 20%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Lesser scaup endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from North America

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.