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
What Bird is That? according to their usual habitat. The accompanying text included brief notes on distribution, breeding and behaviour. While initial sales were poor, history tells us that Cayley had accurately discerned a market need and successfully responded to it. During WWII sales accelerated and Cayley’s first collection, reprinted time and time again, eventually became a household name among birdwatchers and the book was recognised as an Australian classic. The original sponsorship of "What Bird is That?" proved a great investment for the Gould League, who benefited from the sale of its numerous reprints and revised editions. By 1960, it was rated the