Steller's Eider
Polysticta stelleri
Unique Arctic sea duck. Much smaller than other eiders (and in a different genus); only slightly larger than Harlequin Duck. Male is unmistakable with bold black-and-white pattern, olive smudge in front of eye, and peachy underparts. Female less dazzling, chocolate brown overall with few markings; note square head, bold white edges on inner wing feathers, and white underwings. Breeds on Arctic tundra, mainly in Russia but also into Alaska. Winters in pairs or flocks in coastal waters, mainly along the Aleutians and far eastern Russia, also in northern Europe. Dives underwater for crustaceans and mussels.
Identification
Steller’s eider is the smallest of four eider species, with both females and males weighing 800 grams on average (1.8 pounds). They have a compact body with a relatively large head, long tail, and a long, thick bill. The males assume their breeding plumage from early winter to midsummer with a black cap, chin, throat, eye-ring, and rump, with a white head and shoulders, light-green patches behind the head and in front of the eye, cinnamon breast and shoulders marked with a prominent black spot. The wings appear to be striped white, with an iridescent bluish-purple background colour and white border. They have palmate feet (3 fully webbed toes) which are a dark bluish-gray, the same color as the legs. In mid-summer to fall, males assume their non-breeding plumage which is primarily dark brown with a white-bordered bluish speculum (secondary feathers) on their wing. Females are a dark to cinnamon brown with a pale-white eye-ring, similar to the lighter brown juveniles. Females also have iridescent bluish-purple speculums with a white border running the entire length of the secondaries.
Taxonomy
Steller's eider was formally described and illustrated in 1769 by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas from a specimen collected on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Eastern Russia. He coined the binomial name Anas stelleri; the specific epithet was chosen to honour the German naturalist and explorer Georg Wilhelm Steller. Steller's eider is now the only species placed in the genus Polysticta that was introduced in 1836 by the English naturalist Thomas Eyton. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. The genus name is from Ancient Greek polustiktos meaning "much spotted" (from polus "many" and stiktos "spotted").<p>Despite its name, it is only distantly related to all other extant eider species, which are part of the Somateria genus. Steller's eider was separated from other eider species into its own genus in 1945 due to behavioral and anatomical differences. Accordingly, Steller's eider may provide a taxonomic link between the eider species in the Somateria genus and the other sea ducks. It is most closely related to the extinct Labrador duck.
- Scientific name
- Polysticta stelleri
- Authority
- (Pallas, 1769)
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
- Genus
- Polysticta
Range and habitat
During the winter, Steller’s eiders occupy coastal bays and lagoons that offer suitable forage while occasionally feeding in deeper waters that remain adequately sheltered. They nest in marshy tundra along the coast, in areas dominated by water sedge and pendant grass. Within the marshy tundra, they designate specific areas to build their nest, preferring elevated surfaces covered by shallow vegetation such as mosses and grasses. Their molting habitat consists of relatively shallow coastal lagoons that offer viable eelgrass and tidal flats for foraging and beaches and sandbars to rest while they remain flightless.<p>There are three recognized breeding populations of Steller’s eiders, one in Alaska and two in Arctic Russia.<p>Some non-breeding populations will also spend their summers in northern Norway, on the east coast of Russia and adjacent waters, and south-west Alaska.
- Breeding range
- NA, PAL : nw, ne Siberia from Yamal Pen. to Chukotka; and Arctic Coastal Plain, n Alaska
- Non-breeding range
- to Kamchatka Pen., Commander and Kuril is. (se Russia) and Aleutian Is.; also Kola Pen., Barents and White seas (nw Russia) and Baltic Sea
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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