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  Profile

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  In flight

Waterfowl

King Eider

Somateria spectabilis

• uncommon
• 40 km/h
• Least Concern

Orange shield, blue-gray crown, red bill — the most ornate duck head ever assembled. Delivers in regalia.

Population

c. 800,000–900,000 individuals globally (Wetlands International 2015 est., cited in IUCN 2018 assessment); decreasing overall trend (though North American subpopulation shows a small, statistically insignificant increase over the last 40 years)

Habitat

Arctic tundra with freshwater ponds/lakes for breeding; coastal marine waters and pack-ice edges in winter

Fun fact

The male King Eider sports a large, bulbous orange-yellow knob at the base of its bill (a fleshy shield) that gives the species its regal common name.

Range

Circumpolar Arctic — breeds along northern coasts of North America, Greenland, northern Europe (Svalbard, northern Norway/Russia), and Siberia; winters in the Bering Sea, west Greenland, eastern Canada, and northern Norway/Barents Sea

Diet

Benthic marine invertebrates (mollusks, crustaceans including king crabs, sea urchins, starfish, sea anemones) in winter; insect larvae and other small invertebrates plus some plant matter in freshwater breeding habitat

Size

0.6 m

Wingspan

0.94 m

Lifespan

19 years