---
title: "New Zealand Scaup"
description: "Aythya novaeseelandiae — Birds. The New Zealand scaup (Aythya novaeseelandiae), also known as the black teal (or pāpango and several other names in Māori), is a diving duck species of the genus Aythya endemic to New Zealand."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/new-zealand-scaup
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# New Zealand Scaup

> Aythya novaeseelandiae — Birds. The New Zealand scaup (Aythya novaeseelandiae), also known as the black teal (or pāpango and several other names in Māori), is a diving duck species of the genus Aythya endemic to New Zealand.

- Scientific name: *Aythya novaeseelandiae*
- Category: `birds` (Birds)
- Habitats: `freshwater` (Lakes & rivers)
- iNaturalist observations: 5488
- Wikidata: [Q646096](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q646096)
- iNaturalist taxon: [7058](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/7058)

## Names

- en: New Zealand Scaup
- de: Maoriente
- es: Porrón maorí
- fr: Fuligule de Nouvelle-Zélande
- nl: Nieuw-Zeelandse topper
- pt: Zarro-maori
- pl: Ogorzałka nowozelandzka

## Countries with the most observations

NZ (5328), AU (5)

## Summary

The New Zealand scaup (Aythya novaeseelandiae), also known as the black teal (or pāpango and several other names in Māori), is a diving duck species of the genus Aythya endemic to New Zealand. They weigh around 650 grams (23 oz) and measure around 40 centimetres (16 in), and have dark-coloured plumage. They are found throughout New Zealand in deep natural and man-made lakes and ponds.
New Zealand scaup lay around 7 eggs and the ducklings are immediately capable of diving to feed. Adult scaups can dive to at least 3 metres and for as long as a minute for aquatic plants and invertebrates. Scaups started declining in…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_scaup

## Photo

![New Zealand Scaup](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/new-zealand-scaup/medium.jpg)

Photo: Tommy Forrest · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/389547707

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/new-zealand-scaup?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).