Lesser scaup breed and raise their young may be tied to some specific ecological conditions—such as abundance of key food items—which shifted winterwards due to global warming, without the ducks being able to adapt. In this regard, it is alternatively or additionally possible that greater scaup, which may be increasing in numbers, is putting the lesser scaup under increasingly severe competition. However, it seems that greater scaup eats larger food items on average, and the species are sympatric in part of their range and presumably have been for millennium without any problems due to competition. The experience of the past as well
What Bird is That? author Nick Earls' 1999 young adult novel "48 Shades of Brown". The 48 shades refers to the number of distinct browns used by Cayley to describe bird plumage colours. What Bird is That? What Bird is That? A Guide to the Birds of Australia is a book first published in 1931 by Angus & Robertson in Sydney. Authored and illustrated by Neville William Cayley, it was Australia’s first fully illustrated national field guide to birds, a function it served alone for nearly 40 years. In 1960 it was rated the all-time best seller in Australian natural history. "What Bird Is