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
Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory include fringed gentian, viper's bugloss, butterfly weed, jewelweed, black-eyed susan and small yellow lady's slipper. Rare vascular plants found on Prince Edward Point include Ontario aster, downy wood mint and clammyweed. Prince Edward Point is a concentration point of bird migrations over the Great Lakes. Over 300 species of birds have been recorded at Prince Edward Point. Most of these birds are recorded in migration, however 74 species of bird have been recorded nesting on the point. The site experiences large quantity bird migration. Single-day totals of greater scaup, oldsquaw, and white-winged scoters have exceeded 1% of their total North