[SBB] Lesser vs Greater Scaup

[Barry Langdon-Lassagne <[[email protected]]>]

I know I should have this figured out by now, but I still have a lot  
of trouble with Lesser vs. Greater Scaup. For instance, I took this  
picture at the Sunnyvale Water Treatment Plant Sunday:

	http://www.pbase.com/wilmot/image/56292582

I want to call it a Lesser Scaup, but the text and paintings in  
Sibley leave me confused. Which part of the head is the "peak" and  
can you tell how far forward it is in this picture (I always thought  
the peak was that tufty thing above and behind the eye, but Sibley  
says that the peak is farther forward on a Greater, so that makes no  
sense)? Is this bill longer and broader (Greater) or smaller and  
straighter (Lesser...it looks straighter to me)? Is the barring on  
the back heavier and coarser, or not? The tip of the bill doesn't  
have much black, but Sibley says there's a lot of overlap there. I  
know Lesser Scaup are more common here, and some of the other Scaup I  
saw (flying, for instance) were almost certainly Lesser, but just  
from this image I cannot tell which Scaup I have photographed.

If there's anything obvious I should be checking for, I'd appreciate  
the pointers. If it's all subtleties, any tips on additional things  
to look for would also be appreciated.

- Barry -


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