Why is it called the king eider?
The bird’s common name, king eider, is a direct translation of its Icelandic name. It is called “king” because of the orange, crown-like knob above the male’s bill; the male’s multicoloured plumage also suggests royal robes.
Where are king eiders found?
arctic tundra
Habitat. King Eiders nest in arctic tundra, both wet and dry, usually not far from water, whether interior lakes or the ocean coast. Common plants in such habitats include purple saxifrage, crowberry, bearberry, Labrador tea, dwarf birch, arctic willow, pendant grass, and various sedges.
Are king eiders rare?
It is a rare winter visitor along the West Coast outside Alaska. However, nearly all sightings of King Eider outside its normal range are of females and subadult males, which are much plainer and readily confused with Common Eider (an excessively rare bird along the West Coast).
How long does a king eider live?
about 15 to 20 years
King Eiders live about 15 to 20 years in the wild.
What do king eider eat?
King eiders eat a variety of invertebrate prey, diving for benthic mollusks and crustaceans. They also often enter fresh or brackish water to feed on insect larvae (especially caddisflies and midges), and they are known to eat some plant material when nesting.
What does a king eider look like?
Adult males are pale on the head and neck and mostly black on the body, with a large orange plate above the red bill. The crown is tinged blue-gray and the face is greenish. The back, underwing, flank and upperwing are white. Adult females are rich rusty brown intricately patterned with black.
What does the common eider eat?
Mainly mollusks. Feeds especially on mussels and other bivalves; also some crabs and other crustaceans, echinoderms, aquatic insects, small fish. On breeding grounds eats more insects and some plant material.
What eats a common eider duck?
The main predators of Common Eiders are large gulls, ravens, American crows, and jaegers, which prey on the eggs and the downy young. Because they nest mostly on small islands, Common Eiders have few mammalian predators.
Where does the king eider duck come from?
King eider. The king eider (pronounced /ˈaɪ.dər/) (Somateria spectabilis) is a large sea duck that breeds along Northern Hemisphere Arctic coasts of northeast Europe, North America and Asia.
How did the king eider get its name?
1. King Eiders are known to cross-breed with Common Eiders. 2. The genus name Somateria comes from the Greek words sōma which means “body” and erion which means “wool.” This references the King Eider’s especially thick down. 3. Despite the fact that King Eiders have a very large worldwide range they have never developed any recognized subspecies.
Where do king eiders live in the world?
The king eider is circumpolar, found throughout the Arctic. It breeds on the Arctic coast of Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Svalbard and Russia, using a variety of tundra habitats. It winters in arctic and subarctic marine areas, most notably in the Bering Sea, the west coast of Greenland, eastern Canada and northern Norway.
What’s the average weight of a king eider?
A King Eider’s weight can vary considerably depending on the season, ranging between 0.9 kg to as heavy as 2.2 kg. 6. King eiders are one of the largest sea ducks in the Northern Hemisphere. 7. Females rarely feed during the incubation period, resulting in a massive loss in weight.