- Polysticta stelleri
Identification
43-47cm
Breeding Male
- Black back
- White shoulders
- Chestnut breast and belly
- White head with a greenish tuft
- Small black eye patches
Non-breeding: mottled dark brown
Females and juvenile: mottled dark brown. Female has a light eye-ring
Adults of both sexes have a blue patch with a white border on the upper wing.
Distribution
Arctic coasts of eastern Siberia and Alaska. It winters Bering Sea, northern Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Shallow, near-shore marine waters.
Behaviour
A diving duck
Breeding
It builds a lined nest on tundra close to the sea. The clutch consists of 6-10 eggs.
Diet
The diet includes mussels, crustaceans and molluscs.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, B.L. Sullivan, C. L. Wood, and D. Roberson. 2013. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.8., with updates to August 2013. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- US Fish & Wildlife Service
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2023) Steller's Eider. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 30 November 2023 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Steller%27s_Eider
