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.

Are king eiders rare?

This large seaduck resides all around the northern hemisphere, breeding on tundra near coasts north of the Arctic Circle and wintering far enough south to escape winter ice, often at sea. It is a rare winter visitor along the West Coast outside Alaska.

What does an eider duck look like?

The male eider is a black-and-white duck, with a pale green patch at the back of the head, pinkish breast and pale yellow-grey bill. The female is greyish-brown with delicate barring.

Where are king eider found?

Arctic coast
The king eider has a circumpolar distribution. In North America it breeds along the Arctic coast from Alaska to Greenland and along most of the northern Hudson Bay shoreline. King eiders generally nest in vegetation, often adjacent to small lakes and ponds or on small islets on the coast and lay an average of 4-5 eggs.

What Colour are eider ducks?

A chocolate brown colour with cream chest and a cream bar over the eye, they leave the nest as soon as they hatch but are unable to fly until they are around 10 weeks old.

How big is a king eider?

3.6 lbsKing eider / Mass (Adult)

Where can I hunt king eider?

Alaska’s Pribilof Islands in the famous Bering Sea is the most practical place on earth for king eider hunting. For the dedicated waterfowler looking for the ultimate guided duck hunt in Alaska for trophy King Eiders, Harlequin, Long Tail Ducks (Old Squaw) and Scoters, there’s no better option.

How long does a king eider live?

about 15 to 20 years
King Eiders live about 15 to 20 years in the wild.

Where can you see eider ducks?

Where and when to see them. In the breeding season, eiders are best looked for from the Northumberland coast northwards and off the west coast of Scotland. They are found in the same areas in winter and also further south on the Yorkshire coast and around the east and south coast as far a Cornwall.

Do eider ducks change Colour?

Over the next two years the male will continue to moult until it reaches the very conspicuous black and white plumage of an adult breeding male. (Males also have an eclipse plumage during the non-breeding season where the white areas largely become a blackish brown. However, this doesn’t occur until around July).

Do eider ducks Digest mussel shells?

The birds like to snack on mussels, which they swallow whole. The shells are crushed in their gizzard and excreted in small pieces.

King Eider Identification. Male. Large sea duck with an oblong head and a smaller bill. Males have an ornately colored blue, green, and orange head and a black-and-white body. Note orange bill.

Where do you find sea eider ducks?

Most often seen singly or in small flocks on the ocean, often mixed with Common Eider or other sea ducks. Rare on inland lakes, but more regular inland than Common Eider. Females and young males more regularly seen further south than adult males.

What does a male Eider bird look like?

Immature males have the distinctive sloping eider forehead shape, a dark head, a white breast, and white mottling on the back. When molting into breeding plumage, shows dark mottling on back and breast.

Where does the king eider live?

The king eider has a circumpolar distribution. In North America it breeds along the Arctic coast from Alaska to Greenland and along most of the northern Hudson Bay shoreline. King eiders generally nest in vegetation, often adjacent to small lakes and ponds or on small islets on the coast and lay an average of 4-5 eggs.