lesser scaup
- noun
- /ˈlɛsər skaʊp/
- US
:
pato scaup menor
- I spotted a lesser scaup swimming near the shore.
- greater and lesser scaup
Examples
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The lesser scaup is often found in freshwater lakes.
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The lesser scaup is a common sight in North American wetlands during the winter months.
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During migration, many lesser scaup stop to feed in local wetlands.
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Male lesser scaup are easily identified by their glossy purplish heads.
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We spotted a flock of lesser scaup resting on the lake this morning.
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Birdwatchers often spot the male lesser scaup with its distinctive purplish head while kayaking on local lakes.
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During migration, the lesser scaup travels in flocks, searching for food along the shores.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A medium-sized diving duck with a blue-grey bill found in North America, Europe and Asia
A medium diving bird whose male has a purple head and a blue bill
A North American diving duck whose males have a shiny purplish head
A diving duck from North America with a blue-grey bill that lives in lakes and near the sea
A North American diving duck with a bluish-grey bill
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward adjective + noun species name: 'lesser' (smaller) + 'scaup' (a diving duck), so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes the smaller scaup species. This compositional pattern (comparative adjective modifying a noun) is common and cross-linguistically transparent, making the meaning predictable to B1 learners.
Etymology
Lesser scaup comes from older northern words for a kind of diving duck: scaup was the name for this duck and lesser means 'smaller'. So the name simply tells you it is the smaller of two similar diving ducks, the 'greater scaup'.