EIDERS

Eiders are sea ducks, that nest on coastline and tundra in or near the Arctic Circle.

Despite there being 4 ducks called “eider”, there are only 3 species of “true eider”, all in the genus Somateria… Common, King, and Spectacled.

The Steller’s Eider is actually not a true eider, and is in the distantly related genus Polystica, of which it is the only species.

Eiders feed mainly on benthic (bottom-dwelling) ocean invertebrates, usually crustaceans and mollusks.

Though mainly Arctic, in winter these ducks disperse to areas further down coastlines, further South than you would expect sometimes!

King Eider (Somateria spectabilis) and Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) family Anatidae, order Anseriformes, over the Barents Sea, off the Varanger Peninsula, Norway

photograph by Hugh | Shetland Wildlife

Common Eider (Somateria mollissima), T - male, B - female, family Anatidae, order Anseriformes, found along the northern coasts of Europe, North America and eastern Siberia.

• The largest species of duck in Europe, it is the 2nd largest in NOrth America (The Muscovy is the heaviest in NA).
• This species is the source for most eider down, which is usually harvested from the nests, after the chicks leave the nest.
• Eiders are colonial breeders/nesters. Colonies, found on coastline, can reach up to 15,000 individuals.

photographs: Ryzhkov Sergey & Rhododendrites

King Eider (Somateria spectabilis), T - female, B - male, family Anatidae, order Anseriformes, found around and near the Arctic

• Breeding/nesting on tundra.
• I did field work with this duck at Kuparuk on the Arctic Slope of Alaska… years ago.

photographs: Ron Knight & Dick Daniels

Spectacled Eider (Somateria fischeri), B - male, T - male & female, family Anatidae, order Anseriformes, breeds on the coasts of Alaska and northeastern Siberia

• Nest on coastal tundra.
• Overwinters in the middle of the Bering Sea. This was only discovered in 1995.
• Population drops have lead the USFWS to list this species as “Threatened”, though not by the IUCN (the international conservation organization).

photograph by Ervins Cippa

Steller’s Eider (Polysticta stelleri), B - male, T - male & female, family Anatidae, order Anseriformes, found along the coastlines of Russia and Alaska, as well as in the Baltic Sea

• Not a true eider.
• Nest on coastal tundra.
• Breeding range has contracted and numbers have dropped, leading to a conservation status of “threatened”.

photograph by Ron Knight