Steller's eider (Polysticta stelleri ) is a migrating Arctic diving duck that breeds along the coastlines of eastern Russia and Alaska. It is the rarest, smallest, and fastest flying of the eider species. Amongst the Inupiat, Steller's eider is known as the "bird that sat in the campfire", referring to the burnt-ish color of the male's belly.
Due to the extensive contraction of its breeding range, the Alaska-breeding population of Steller's eider was listed as vulnerable in 1997 by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The species is protected in Russia and the U.S. and is the subject of an ongoing recovery plan by the European Union and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans. They ...
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SocialFlocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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starts withSteller’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.
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.
According to banding studies, Steller's eiders can live up to 21 years and four months and reach sexual maturity at two years. Males engage in leks on the wintering and breeding grounds, where groups of males attempt to win over an individual female with elaborate displays. Males court females in silence by displaying a consistent sequence of side-to-side head-shaking while swimming towards and away from their potential female partner. Steller's eiders tend to form breeding pairs during late-winter to early-spring instead of the fall like most waterfowl. Breeding pairs arrive at their nesting sites as early as the beginning of June.
Females establish their nests in marshy tundra close to permanent open water that has additional access to small ponds. They specifically select mounds or ridges dominated by mosses, lichens, and grasses. Their nest is shallow, lined with grasses, moss, lichens, and down feathers plucked from the female's breast, who builds the nest without help from the male.
Females usually lay 1-8 olive to brownish-orange eggs per breeding cycle. She then incubates the eggs alone for about 25 days. The young are precocial and hatch between late June and late July with their eyes open and sporting downy feathers. However, predators consume the majority of eggs before they are hatched. The young go to the water shortly after hatching and immediately feed themselves, without relying on their mother for food. Regardless of their feeding independence, females will stay within 700m of their nest for up to 35 days post-hatch, while the young begin flying approximately 40 days after hatching. It is not uncommon for one female to assume care of two or more sets of young from a different mother.
The decline of Alaska-breeding Steller’s eider population is predominantly unclear. It has been attributed to changes to the Arctic climate, increased predation rates, hunting and consumption of lead shot, and disease. Since their listing, additional threats such as exposure to oil and other contaminants have been identified.
In 2016, the global population of Steller’s eider was estimated at 110,000-125,000 individuals and classified as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
In 1992, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reviewed the status of the Steller’s eider and concluded that listing the species as endangered was warranted, but precluded by higher species listing priorities. One year later, in 1993, they reconsidered the Steller’s eider’s status and supported the listing of the Alaska-breeding population, but did not include the Russian-breeding populations. Finally, the Alaska-breeding population was listed as threatened in 1997. The primary reason for listing was the near disappearance of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta population, contracting the Alaskan nesting sites to the Arctic Coastal Plain and increasing the population’s risk of extirpation.`
Two-recovery plans have been implemented to restore healthy populations of Steller’s eiders. The European Union action plan, published in 2000 and The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service action plan, originally published in 2002.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...