Duck of the Week: Spectacled Eider
This peculiar and magnificent-looking duck lives far to the north on the Bering Strait.
The Spectacled Eider is a large sea duck with a distinct head that causes both the males and females to appear as if they are bedecked with eyewear under their sloping foreheads. The females are a barred brown, often with a lighter brown patch around the eyes. Meanwhile, the males have white backs, a green head, and a bright white patch around their eyes.
Slightly smaller than the common eider, these ducks live along the coast on either side of the Bering Strait. A larger group used to live in Alaska, but in recent years a bigger population can be found in northern Russia. Currently, in the United States there are only 3,000 - 4,000 nesting pairs of spectacled eiders after many moved away from the Alaskan side of the strait.
Spectacled eiders are considered a Threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1993 but are thankfully on the list of Least Concern.
These diving ducks are remarkable in their ability to spend long periods of time underwater in search of food compared to most other duck species. This strength is essential, given the fact that their wintering grounds are out at sea in the middle of the Bering Strait. Only come springtime do they return to the coast to breed in pairs.
It feels like I say this a lot, but they’re one of the more incredible-looking duck species I’ve come across. I think it’s unlikely I’ll ever have the chance to see one of these amazing ducks in person, but I would certainly take the opportunity if it ever came around!