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BLUEBILL

One of the most common lake and river ducks, the Lesserscaup, or Bluebill, passes through Lake Huron in huge numbers. The male has a shiny, black head with a purple gloss, and a very light gray bill (no ring on it). The female is all brown, with the same bill, and with a semi-circular white crescent just behind the bill. Greater scalps are larger, have rounder heads with a greenish gloss and longer wing stripes. Both are divers, seldom seen in marshes. The bluebills have had the most liberal hunting limits of any duck over the last 50 years.