Appearance
Overall dark brown/black colours. The male has a striking yellow eye and a dark coloured head. The female is similar to the male, but without the yellow eye and has a white face patch during breeding season. A white wing bar can be seen in both sexes when in flight.Distribution
It is found throughout both the North and South Islands of New Zealand in deep freshwater lakes and ponds. Unlike other members of this genus, the scaup is not migratory, although it does move to open water from high country lakes if they become frozen in winter.Behavior
They nest from October to March. They lay five to eight cream/white eggs in a nest close to water, often under banks or thick cover. The nest is usually lined with grass and down. The eggs are incubated for four weeks by the female. The newly hatched ducklings begin diving for food on their first outing.Food
The scaup is a diving duck which may submerge for twenty to thirty seconds and go down three metres to look for aquatic plants, small fish, water snails, mussels and insects. It is sometimes seen with the Australian coot ; it is thought that the scaup takes advantage of the food stirred up by the coots as they fossick for shrimps.References:
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