Belize Biodiversity Information System

Taxonomy

Species ID	040520
Name	Lesser Scaup
Other Common Names
Category	04 Birds
Phylum
Subphylum
Class	Aves
Subclass	Neornithes
Suborder	Anseres
Family	Anatidae
Genus	Aythya
Species	affinis
Subspecies
References	1
Scientific Synonyms	Fuligula affinis - Eyton, 1838

Status

Status Code	Status Translation	References
5	Transient, present briefly as migrant.	15
3	Winter visitor - migrant.	12
3	Winter visitor - migrant.	3
31	Hunted - subsistence or commercial	11
27	Rare: low density, unlikely to be seen, few localities.	11
15	Vulnerable in Belize	11
31	Hunted - subsistence or commercial	9
95	U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty	7

Distribution

DISTRICT	References
Belize	10, 4
Corozal	5
Orange Walk	16, 6
Stann Creek	6

Administrative Unit	Occurrence	Abundance	Temporal	References
Manatee Wildlife Sanctuary	Collected as voucher.	Unknown, insufficient data	December	10
Rio Bravo Conservation Management Area	Collected as voucher.	Unknown, insufficient data	February	16
Rio Bravo Conservation Management Area	Sighting	Very Rare	Dry season (Jan-May)	15
Shipstern Nature Reserve				5
Rio Bravo Conservation Management Area				6
Half Moon Caye Natural Monument				6
Northern Lagoon/Southern Lagoon (Proposed)				6
Government land				10

Hydrologic Unit Distribution	References
New River Lagoon	15

ELEVATION Association	References
1-200 m	10, 16, 15
1-200 m	10
1-200 m	8

QUAD Distribution	References
17 30' to 17 45'; 88 30' to 88 45'	16, 15
17 30' to 17 45'; 88 30' to 88 45'	6
17 30' to 17 45'; 88 15' to 88 30'	4
17 00' to 17 15'; 88 15' to 88 30'	10, 8
18 15' to 18 30'; 88 00' to 88 15'	10

Holdridge Life Zone Distribution	References
Subtropical moist	16, 15
Tropical moist-transition to Subtropical	10
Subtropical moist	8

Comments on Distribution

15* Extremely rare in Marsh.; 12* Rare coastal/low-lands savannas, inc. marshy areas.; Rare mangroves lowlands & coastal beaches.; 3* Winter resident, uncommon in mangroves and beaches along the coast of; the mainland and common in cays including Ambergis Cay.

Habitat Associations

Forest Type Associations	Seral Stage	Canopy Closure	References
			10
Marsh and Swamp Communities			10
Seasonal swamp forests (marsh forests) of Northern Belize, variant 1.			16
Marsh and Swamp Communities			16

Food Habits

Trophic

OMNIVORE

References on Trophic Level

13, 14

Lifestage	Food Item Consumed	Part of Food Item
Adult	Aquatic plants	Adult stage
Adult	Insects: aquatic	Adult stage
Adult	Fish	Adult stage
Adult	Snails	Adult stage
Adult	Crustaceans	Adult stage

Comments on General Food Habits

13* Dives for aquatic plants, snails, insects, and small fishes; in small flocks, pairs, or singly; 14* Habitat is lakes, ponds, coastal lagoons, estuaries, rarely open ocean. Often in large flocks, locally in thousands. For Tribe Aythini:Scaups - Food aquatic vegetation, insects, molluscs, and crustaceans.

References

1 A.O.U. 1983. Checklist of North American Birds. 6th Ed.

2 A.O.U. 1985, 1987, 1989. 35th-37th Supplements.

3 Wood, D.S.,R. C. Leberman, and D. Weyer. 1986. Checklist of Birds of Belize. Carnegie Museum of Natural History Special Publication 12.

4 Miller, B. W., 1994. Belize Christmas Bird Counts, Twenty Year Summary. in prep.

5 Meerman, J. 1993. Checklist of the Birds of the Shipstern Nature Reserve, Occasional Papers of the Belize Natural History Society. 2(10). pp. 71-81.

6 Russell, S. M. 1964. A Distributional Study of the Birds of British Honduras. Ornithological Monographs No. 1, A.O.U.

7 Title 50 Code of Federal Regulations, Subchapter B., Part 10.13: List of Migratory Birds. U.S. Government Printing Office: 1985 0-488-794. (Lists all species of migratory birds protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703-711).

8 Miller, B. W. 1997. Belize Christmas Bird Count Summary 1970-1995. Data from American Birds Vol. 28-50 including 1973-1996.

9 Miller, B.W. 1959. Bird Species of Concern. pp. 56-64. in Miller, B.W., C.M. Miller. 1995. National Protected Areas System Plan for Belize, Vol. 3. Zoological Report 236 p. NARMAP.

10 Panza, R. 1997. Carnegie Museum, Division of Birds, Holdings of Belize specimens through Jun. 1, 1997.

11 Miller, B.W., C.M. Miller. 1997. Avian Risk Assessment for Belize, Species at Risk and of Conservation Concern. Report to Programme for Belize/TNC Wings of America Program.

12 Garcia, J., S. Matola, M. Meadows, and C. Wright. 1994. A Checklist of the Birds of Belize. WWF-US. 35p.

13 Stiles, F. G., A. F. Skutch. 1989. A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica. Ithaca, NY. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca, New York. p. 94.

14 Howell, S. N. G., S. Webb. 1995. A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America. New York. Oxford University Press. p. 167.

15 Vallely, Andrew C. and A.A. Whitman. 1997. The Birds of Hill Bank, northern Belize. Cotinga. 8:39-49.

16 LSU_Birds. Remsen, Van. 1998. LSU Museum of Natural Science bird holding from Belize as of January 1, 1998. All records have been geo-referenced and imported on 09/17/00.