Aythya marila: Greater Scaup - RI - 2015

The Greater Scaup breeds throughout northern Canada and Alaska. This species primarily winters in saltwater habitats along the east and west coasts of North America. The number of scaup (Lesser and Greater combined) has been below the long-term average in the traditional survey area since 1985 (www.flyways.us), thus there is concern about their population status. In Rhode Island, this species typically occurs from early October to early April. This common species in Rhode Island is mainly found in upper and eastern Narragansett Bay, and coastal ponds. There has been a long-term decline in the number of Greater Scaup wintering in Rhode Island. Currently, this species is the most abundant duck in Narragansett Bay, accounting for over 11227 of 29241 waterfowl counted in the bay in 2010 (R. McKinney, US EPA, unpubl. data). Reasons for this decline in Rhode Island are uncertain. Conservation concerns include the negative impacts of urbanization on water quality, oil spills, human disturbance affecting foraging and roosting birds, and uncertainty about harvest levels of this species. Management actions include minimizing the impacts of urbanization through better treatment of urban runoff, minimizing the potential for negative impacts of oil spills on marine birds (e.g., double-hulled barges), developing and implementing a standardized survey to track long-term population trends, and gaining a clearer understanding of harvest levels.