Bird name:

King Eider

Somateria spectabilis

Order

ANSERIFORMES

Family

Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)

Code 4

KIEI

Code 6

SOMSPE

ITIS

175160

Breeding Location:

Lakes, Coastal ponds

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Common to abundant

Egg Color:

Olive, buff or pale olive

Number of Eggs:

3 - 7

Incubation Days:

22 - 24

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Grass lined with down.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

King Eider: Large, regal diving duck with black body and white breast and back. Crown and nape are pale blue; distinct bill is orange-red, sweeping upward into a large, orange basal knob outlined in black. Wings are black with large white patches visible in flight. Tail has white patches at the base. Female has a gray bill and rufous-brown body with chevron-barred sides. 1st winter female resembles adult female but is grayer. 1st winter male is darker overall with orange bill and shows dull white breast and tail patches. Eclipse male is darker overall with yellow bill and basal knob.

Range and Habitat

King Eider: Breeds in the Canadian Arctic, Greenland, Alaska, and Siberia. On the Atlantic coast, spends winters south to Massachusetts but rarely beyond. Preferred habitats are rocky coasts and open ocean; nests on inland freshwater lakes and ponds.

Breeding and Nesting

King Eider: Three to seven olive, pale olive, or buff eggs are laid in a flattened hollow of grass lined with down, usually near the water. Incubation ranges from 22 to 24 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

King Eider: Feeds on mollusks, crustaceans, aquatic insects, eelgrass, widgeon grass, and algae; forages by diving deep under water from the surface.

Vocalization

King Eider Male: Utters soft, dovelike cooing during the breeding season "urrr-urrr-URR."

Similar Species

King Eider: Common Eider has black cap, white back, and lacks orange bill and shield. Spectacled Eider has black breast and spectacles and white back.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Crown

The crown is the top part of the birds head.

Nape

Also called the hindneck or collar, it is the back of the neck where the head joins the body.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America