Spectacled Eider
Somateria fischeri
This peculiar Arctic sea duck breeds on the tundra in Alaska and far eastern Russia and winters in massive flocks among pack ice in the Bering Sea. Males have a unique olive-green head with white goggles, a dark breast, and a carrot-orange bill. Females are brown overall with pale goggles. Rarely seen away from a few key sites in Alaska, usually in small numbers. Compare with other eider species; even the dullest young females have pale goggle pattern on head.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Somateria fischeri
- Authority
- (Brandt, JF, 1847)
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
- Genus
- Somateria
Range and habitat
Currently, spectacled eiders occur along 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. Currently the United States population is an estimated 3,000–4,000 nesting pairs<p>The spectacled eider molts at sea anywhere from 2 to 45 kilometers (1.2 to 28.0 mi) from 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.
- Breeding range
- NA, PAL : nc, ne Siberia from Lena Delta to Chukotka; w, n Alaska in Yukon Delta and Arctic Coastal Plain
- Non-breeding range
- polynyas (ice-free seas) between St. Lawrence and St. Matthew is. (n Bering Sea)
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
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 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.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Rufous-bellied Kookaburra
Dacelo gaudichaud
A distinctive large kingfisher of lowland forest. Black cap, white collar, blue wing and rump, and rufous belly. Found in the understorey where it scans for its prey of lizards and insects. Superficially similar to the much rarer Shovel-billed Kookaburra, but Rufous-bellied Kookaburra has a blue rather than brown wing, and a longer, paler bill. Several different vocalizations. Call, a repeated, harsh, loud “rek!” note given while flicking its tail slightly; and a hollow rolling call given whilst lifting its tail right up.
Wedge-tailed Hillstar
Oreotrochilus adela
Beautiful and distinctive hummingbird of Polylepis woodpland and adjacent scrub in the high Andes from the Argentina-Bolivia border to Cochabamba. Fairly rare. Male is the only hummingbird in range with a combination of rufous sides, black breast, and green throat. Female can be distinguished from other species of hillstars by her orange underparts.
Jamaican Pewee
Contopus pallidus
A small, plain woodland species often found flycatching from exposed perches at middle levels in the forest; often flicks tail once upon landing. Note that this species has relatively inconspicuous wingbars and no eyering. The similar Eastern Wood-Pewee has distinctly longer primaries (assessed by looking at how far the primaries extend beyond tertials), whitish wingbars, and rarely flicks its tail upon landing. The Greater Antillean Elaenia has bold white wingbars and an entirely dark bill unlike the Jamaican Pewee. Vocalizations include plaintive “wee-wee,” with the second note louder and both notes upslurred, a similarly plaintive ‘uh-weee-oo” with the middle portion upslurred, and a slightly rough, whistled “weeah.”
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.