Greater scaup refers to a seabird mentioned by Aristotle and others and is thought to refer to a duck, auklet or other seabird. The species name "marila" is from the Greek word for charcoal embers or coal dust. The greater scaup was first studied by Linnaeus in 1761. Male greater scaup from America are distinguishable from those in Europe and Asia by the stronger vermiculations, worm-like carvings or marks on the mantle and scapulars, and are considered a separate subspecies, "A. m. nearctica". Females of the two subspecies are indistinguishable. Based on size differences, a Pleistocene paleosubspecies, "Aythya marila asphaltica", has also
What the Little Bird Told Him projecting Gotham’s season one extension onto this episode–or maybe I’m putting too much stock into the number “12” that designates this episode–but “What The Little Bird Told Him” sure feels like a penultimate episode of television. It engages with almost all of the storylines that have been a part of this season so far (notably absent is Gotham’s most rewarding storyline to date, the continuing growth of Bruce Wayne and his badass butler Alfred) while moving its central pieces, specifically the mob bosses, into place for a finale. In any other season, this episode would set the stage for the