 Breeding evidence |
 Relative abundance |
 Probability of observation |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Atlas results coming soon
Note: During all years of the Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlas drought conditions persisted and the Atlas range maps for all waterfowl, waterbirds, and wetland-associated species should be viewed as characteristic of distribution and abundance during dry conditions. Read the full drought statement here.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
The Lesser Scaup, or "Bluebill,? is one of Saskatchewan's most widely distributed diving ducks, particularly in boreal areas. These birds are relatively late migrants and they also breed later. Scaup use of wetland areas is primarily determined by availability of amphipods; reductions in wetlands that support robust amphipod populations are thought to have contributed to the steady decline in continental numbers of Lesser Scaup since the late 1970s (Lindeman and Clark 1999). They breed from Alaska and western and central Canada south to the northwestern contiguous US, and winter from extreme southern Canada to northern South America (AOU 1998).
Breeding Lesser Scaup tend to be associated with deep, semi-permanent wetlands, with emergent vegetation, islands, or upland vegetation used for nesting (Anteau et al. 2014). In migration, they stop at larger water bodies, diving to feed and loafing.
The Lesser Scaup is a very common summer resident in the boreal forest of Saskatchewan, particularly in the Cumberland Marshes. It is less abundant but still common in the subarctic, boreal forest, and parkland regions, becoming less common toward the southwest (Smith 1996).
Original text by Kirsty E. B. Gurney. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Lesser Scaup in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Lesser Scaup in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=LESC&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]
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