King Eider

Overview

The King Eider is a large sea duck of the high Arctic, closely related to the Common Eider but showing a more colorful head pattern and a more strongly contrasting body. Breeding males have a blue-gray crown, pale green cheeks, and a black body broken by a white breast and foreparts, along with a distinctive orange facial shield at the base of the bill. Females are cinnamon-brown with crescent-shaped barring, differing subtly from the finer, more linear barring of female Common Eiders.

Feather Identification

• Head color: Males show a blue-gray crown and pale green cheeks, a markedly more colorful head pattern than the mostly white-and-black head of the Common Eider.
• Body contrast: A black body with a white breast and foreparts creates a bold two-toned appearance, differing from the more evenly distributed white back and breast of the Common Eider.
• Female barring pattern: Females show crescent-shaped or V-shaped barring across a cinnamon-brown body, distinct from the finer, straighter barring typical of female Common Eiders.
• Facial shield note: Though not a feather trait, the male's bright orange frontal shield above the bill pairs distinctively with the blue-gray and green head feathering.
• Overall shape: A shorter, more rounded head profile compared to the sloping bill-and-forehead line of the Common Eider.

Plumage Notes

Breeding males show a blue-gray crown, pale green cheeks, black body, and white breast and foreparts. Females are cinnamon-brown with crescent-shaped barring year-round. Eclipse males become much duller and darker, losing most of the colorful head pattern until breeding plumage is regained. The species undergoes a complete post-breeding molt with a flightless period. Juveniles resemble females, gradually developing the male's colorful head pattern over a couple of years.

Habitat & Range

King Eiders breed on tundra ponds and coastal areas across the high Arctic of North America and Eurasia, nesting on the ground often at some distance from open water. In winter, they move to open ocean waters, sometimes well offshore, particularly along northern coastlines that remain partially ice-free. The species is migratory, undertaking long movements between arctic breeding grounds and marine wintering areas.

Behavior & Field Notes

King Eiders dive to forage on invertebrates from the seafloor, often in cold, deep offshore waters during winter. They nest on the ground on tundra, with females solely responsible for incubation and brood care in a challenging arctic environment. The species can form large flocks during migration, moving in long lines over open water and tundra. Calls include soft crooning notes from males during courtship, audible over short distances in the breeding season.