15-485: The eiders ( / ˈ aɪ . d ər / ) are large seaducks in the genus Somateria . The three extant species all breed in the cooler latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. The down feathers of eider ducks and some other ducks and geese, are used to fill pillows and quilts —they have given the name to the type of quilt known as an eiderdown. The genus Somateria was introduced in 1819 to accommodate
30-431: A diving duck, the spectacled eider forages for food in the water by swimming and diving underwater. It is believed to be able to remain submerged longer than most diving ducks and mostly feeds on mollusks while at sea and aquatic insects, crustaceans, and plant material while on the breeding grounds. Breeding pairs are formed in the wintering grounds before spring migration through male displays and female selection. Once at
45-467: A harsh croak. The female is a rich brown bird , but can still be readily distinguished from all ducks except other eider species on size and structure. The paler goggles are visible with a reasonable view and clinch identification. Immature birds and eclipse adult drakes are similar to the female. The binomial commemorates the German scientist Johann Fischer von Waldheim . Spectacled eiders occur along
60-450: A tribe of the duck subfamily of birds , the Anatinae . The taxonomy of this group is incomplete. Some authorities separate the group as a subfamily, while others remove some genera. Most species within the group spend their winters near coastal waters. Many species have developed specialized salt glands to allow them to tolerate salt water, but these are poorly developed in juveniles. Some of
75-406: Is a large sea duck that breeds on the coasts of Alaska and northeastern Siberia . The spectacled eider is slightly smaller than the common eider at 52–57 cm (20–22 inches) in length. The male is unmistakable with its black body, white back, and yellow-green head with the large circular white eye patches which give the species its name. The drake's call is a weak crooning, and the female's
90-946: The eclipse plumage during the late summer and molt into their breeding plumage during the winter. There are twenty-two species in ten genera : Below is a phylogeny based on a mitogenomic study of the placement of the Labrador duck and the diving "goose" Chendytes lawi . Clangula hyemalis Histrionicus histrionicus Polysticta stelleri † Camptorhynchus labradorius Somateria fischeri Somateria mollissima Somateria spectabilis Melanitta nigra Melanitta deglandi Melanitta perspicillata Bucephala albeola Bucephala clangula Bucephala islandica Mergellus albellus Mergus serrator Lophodytes cucullatus Mergus merganser Mergus octosetaceus Mergus squamatus Spectacled eider The spectacled eider (pronounced / ˈ aɪ . d ər / ) ( Somateria fischeri )
105-508: The king eider by the English zoologist William Leach in an appendix to John Ross 's account of his voyage to look for the Northwest Passage . The name is derived from Ancient Greek σῶμα : sōma "body" (stem somat- ) and ἔριον : erion "wool", referring to eiderdown . Steller's eider ( Polysticta stelleri ) is in a different genus despite its name. Eider ducks are
120-539: The coast of Alaska and Russia. It also used to extend from the Nushagak Peninsula to Barrow and almost all the way to the Canadian border. Since spectacled eiders live in frigid areas that are not easily accessible to humans their main habitat loss has been a result of climate change. A future threats to their habitat is the possible development of oil and gas drilling near Teshekpuk Lake which has well been established as
135-618: The coast of Alaska and easternmost Russia and into the Bering Sea. There are two breeding populations in Alaska and one in Russia. Historically there were more breeding individuals in Alaska but more recently the Russian population is much larger. The United States population is an estimated 3,000–4,000 nesting pairs The spectacled eider molts at sea anywhere from 2 to 45 kilometers (1.2 to 28.0 mi) from
150-824: The namesake of The Barrow Duck-In . The genus contains three species. [REDACTED] Male [REDACTED] Female [REDACTED] Male [REDACTED] Female [REDACTED] Male [REDACTED] Female Two undescribed species are known from fossils , one from Middle Oligocene rocks in Kazakhstan and another from the Late Miocene or Early Pliocene of Lee Creek Mine, United States. The former may not actually belong in this genus. Mergini Clangula Histrionicus Polysticta † Camptorhynchus Somateria Melanitta Bucephala Mergellus Lophodytes Mergus The sea ducks ( Mergini ) are
165-418: The nesting sites, females build a nest close to the pond on a raised ridge, called a hummock, that are lined with plant materials and feathery down. Nests may be reused for future years. Females are the sole incubators and caretakers of the eggs and chicks and will lay on average three to six eggs with an olive buff color. Eggs are incubated for 24 days and chicks leave the nest shortly after hatching to be led to
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#1732837755901180-480: The shore and north of 63°N. Since they are rarely seen outside of their breeding grounds, their wintering grounds in the Bering Sea were not known until recently with the help of satellite telemetry in 1995. The spectacled eider was listed as Threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1993 but remains listed as under Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The Red List keep the listing in this category because
195-406: The species prefer riverine habitats. All but two of the 22 species in this group live in far northern latitudes. The fish-eating members of this group, such as the mergansers and smew , have serrated edges to their bills to help them grip their prey and are often known as "sawbills". Other sea ducks forage by diving underwater, taking molluscs or crustaceans from the sea floor. The Mergini take on
210-491: The spectacled eider does not meet the range size criterion or the population trend criterion. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service originally listed the spectacled eider as Threatened because of a more than 96% drop in breeding population size in Alaska. With this listing and protection from the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1991, it is illegal to harvest any individuals through either sport or subsistence hunting. As
225-404: The water by the female. The female protects the chicks but they do find all their own food. Spectacled eiders have a fairly rapid development to be such large birds; it only takes about 53 days or less before they can fly. There are multiple factors that threaten spectacled eider populations in the future including climate change and habitat loss. Historically their range was much larger than just
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