bird of the day: the spectacled eider
the spectacled eider is a large sea duck native to alaska and russia.
spectacled eiders are large diving ducks that mainly feed off of mollusks and clams in the winter. in their summer habitat, they dabble in shallow water and forage on land, during which period their diet mainly consists of small fish, grain, berries, and grasses.
like all eiders, males and females are sexually dimorphic and easy to tell apart. the female is a dark brown color in contrast to the white, black, and green male. however, the female still has a pale pair of ‘spectacles’ that can be used to identify them.
the spectacled eider lives mainly at sea in the winter, occasionally coming onto shore. pairs are usually established in the winter. in the summer, eiders migrate to warmer areas, and build nests on ridges on the tundra. these nests are often reused again another year.
unfortunately, like many birds native to areas like alaska, climate change has led to habitat loss for the eiders. between 1930 and 1973, one of the main breeding populations in alaska declined by 96%. the declining numbers of the eider has led them to be listed as ‘vulnerable’ by the iucn.
today's bird 