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Species of Special Concern
Photo courtesy of USGSStatus
Alaska species of special concern; Federal threatened species
Description
Spectacled eiders are large-bodied sea ducks. The adult male Spectacled eider has a black chest and white back, a green head with a long, sloping forehead, and distinctive white eye patches. Young birds and females are brown with pale brown eye patches.
Habitats and Habits
Spectacled eiders nest in wet tundra near ponds on the Arctic coasts of Alaska and Russia and on the coast of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in Alaska. Nesting pairs arrive together each spring, but the males leave after egg incubation begins. In late summer, the females and young join the males at sea. The wintering areas of spectacled eiders are unknown. They probably winter in the northern Bering Sea, eating small clams and other aquatic animals.
Causes of Decline
Spectacled eiders have declined dramatically in Alaska since the 1960s. Causes for this decline are not known but may include some combination of reduced food supplies, pollution, overharvest, lead shot poisoning, increased predation, and other causes.
Range of the Spectacled EiderResearch and Recovery
Major research projects are underway to find out where spectacled eiders spend the winter and why they are declining. By tracking these large ducks with state-of-the-art satellite transmitters, biologists are discovering eider molting and feeding areas in the Bering Sea. Other studies are investigating problems from lead shot poisoning and environmental contamination. Educational materials and meetings in coastal villages encourage subsistence waterfowl hunters to protect spectacled eiders.
Text: Jean Fitts Cochrane
For Additional Information
Please contact:
Doug Vincent-Lang
(907) 267-2339
