Greater scaup days. The down-covered ducklings are able to follow their mother in her search for food immediately after hatching. Greater scaup eat aquatic molluscs, plants, and insects, which they obtain by diving underwater. They form large groups, called "rafts", that can number in the thousands. Their main threat is human development, although they are preyed upon by owls, skunks, raccoons, foxes, coyotes, and humans. Greater scaup populations have been declining since the 1980s; however, they are still listed as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List. The genus name "Aythya" is derived from the Ancient Greek "aithuia" which
Fitcher's Bird Fitcher's Bird "Fitcher's Bird" (German: "Fitchers Vogel") is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 46. It is Aarne-Thompson type 311, the heroine rescues herself and her sisters. Another tale of this type is "How the Devil Married Three Sisters". The Brothers Grimm noted its close similarity to the Norwegian "The Old Dame and Her Hen", also grouped in this tale type. The tale also features the motifs of the "Forbidden chamber" and a bloodied item that betrays the bride peeking in that chamber against strict orders, and as such bears resemblance to the "Bluebeard" type