Conservation
Greater Scaup are rated as a species of least concern by the IUCN Redlist. During aerial population surveys Greater and Lesser Scaup are counted together, because they look almost identical from the air. It was estimated that the Greater Scaup made up about 11% of the continental Scaup population. Since the 1980s, Scaup populations have been steadily decreasing. Some of the primary factors contributing to this decline are habitat loss, contaminants, changes in breeding habitat, and a lower female survival rate. The 2010 American Scaup population survey was 4.2 million Scaup, however, the worldwide Greater Scaup population survey estimated 1,200,000 to 1,400,000 mature Greater Scaup. Along with the aerial population surveys, there is a banding program for the Greater Scaup. Metal leg bands are placed on them, so that if the Scaup is killed by a hunter or if it is captured by another banding group, the number on the band can be reported to biologists and wildlife organizations. These banding programs yield valuable data about migration patterns, harvest rates, and survival rates.
Read more about this topic: Greater Scaup
Famous quotes containing the word conservation:
“The putting into force of laws which shall secure the conservation of our resources, as far as they may be within the jurisdiction of the Federal Government, including the more important work of saving and restoring our forests and the great improvement of waterways, are all proper government functions which must involve large expenditure if properly performed.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)
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