: An Arctic Bird Worth Knowing About
The Spectacled Eider is a fascinating bird that is native to the Arctic region. It gets its name from the white circles around its eyes, which make it look as though it’s wearing glasses. This unique bird has many interesting characteristics that make it worth getting to know.
Basic Description
Spectacled Eiders are medium-sized birds with a body length of 20-25 inches and a wingspan of about 36 inches. They have a distinctive blue-green head and neck, while their chest and back feathers are black with white speckles. Their wings are brownish-gray in color, and they have bright orange feet.
Where To Find This Bird
Spectacled Eiders primarily live in coastal areas of Alaska and Siberia during breeding season. However, during non-breeding season they can be found in the open waters of the Bering Sea as well as along the coastlines of Japan and Russia.
Habitat
These birds prefer nesting on islands or coastal tundra near freshwater ponds where they can feed on aquatic insects such as dragonflies, beetles, crustaceans such as copepods, and small fish like smelt. During winter migration or outside breeding season these eiders tend to stay close to ice formations making use drifting ice floes for feeding.
Food
The Spectacled Eider feeds mostly on aquatic plants such as sea lettuce (Ulva spp.), eelgrass (Zostera marina), arctic algael mats growing at shallow depths under water surface . They may also eat insects along with small fish when available especially during breeding period raising their chicks require protein-rich food.
Cool Facts
One cool fact about this bird is that male Spectacled Eiders perform elaborate courtship displays to attract females resulting into pairing for mating purposes only lasting one year prior separation after chick-rearing duties end.In addition,Spectrum Eiders is one of the few seaducks that tend to nest in areas with low predation risks from land predators such as foxes and wolves which are absent on its breeding range.
In conclusion, the Spectacled Eider is a bird worth knowing about. Its distinctive appearance, fascinating behavior patterns, and unique habitat make it a true marvel for bird enthusiasts. If you ever find yourself in the Arctic region of Alaska or Siberia, keep an eye out for these amazing creatures!
