Family:
Steller’s eider is a compact diving duck with a large head, a long, thick bill, and fairly long tail. It is the smallest, rarest, and fastest flying of all eider species.
In breeding plumage, the male has a black back and rump with white stripes on the wings. The rest of the body is pale yellow with a cinnamon breast and a prominent black spot on the shoulders. The head is white with a black cap, chin, throat, and eye-ring, with light green patches in front of the eye. The bill is grey and un-feathered unlike other eiders.
The female is dark or cinnamon brown with a with a pale eye-ring. In eclipse plumage, the male is similar to the female, except for a pale blue forewing edged with white.
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Steller’s eiders forage by dabbling or tipping up to strain their prey. They will also dive to catch deeper prey. During the summer they feed on aquatic plants and insects, while in winter they eat crustaceans, molluscs, worms, and mussels.
Steller’s eiders breed on the arctic coasts of northern Europe and Asia in coastal marshy tundra with freshwater ponds. In winter, they migrate south of the Baltic Sea, the Siberian coast, and south west Canada. During moult they spend their time on shallow coastal lagoons and tidal flats.
