Late in their first autumn, young males moult into a darker plumage, with white on the breast and rump; it takes them three years to achieve full adult plumage.[8]. Feather Total Length. Due to its large population and vast range, the king eider is listed as a species of least concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. male and female king eider ducks in the waters at the ice floe edge in the late afternoon sun, baffin island, canada. King Eider Life Cycle. See more ideas about Eider, Birds, Bird. 786 views King Eider female - Bing images. The female rarely leaves the nest during incubation. Large sea duck with an oblong head and a smaller bill. The male has characteristic, colourful plumage with a pale, blue-grey head, light-green cheeks, a pink breast and a black back and under-parts. English: Female King Eider (Somateria spectabilis) at Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward, Alaska She sits tightly on the eggs and sometimes can be touched or picked up off of the nest. 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. May 13, 2017 - Description and images of the King Eider. Large sea duck. 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. The female King Eider does not … The female's coloring is perfect camouflage. Similar to female King Eider, but note flatter forehead and barring (opposed to chevrons) on sides. Records occur in our state about every three to five years and are often females or sub-adult males. The king eider's foraging strategies change depending on the season. The young fledge once they’re about 50 days old. Females brown or gray-brown with black barring covering body and wings. The female builds a scrape nest on the ground, usually near water. ‘The basis of Dr. Gudmundsson’s explanation is that, after pair formation, the male follows the female to her point of origin, wherever it may be. [2] In 1819, William Elford Leach moved it and the other large eiders to the genus Somateria, where it has remained since. Upload your best active weather photos and videos or watch them in our new searchable gallery. Jan 7, 2019 - Explore Bo Nielsen's board "King Eider" on Pinterest. During the breeding season, it does more of its foraging on freshwater lakes and ponds, where it dabbles, feeding primarily on small invertebrates plucked from the surface of the water. - king eider duck stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images How many King Eiders are there today? The female eider sits tightly on her eggs and sometimes can be approached very closely. For much of the year, it is at sea; there, it dives for benthic invertebrates.