Steller's Eider

Polysticta stelleri

Smallest eider, named for the same naturalist as Steller's Jay. Disappeared from Alaska's North Slope and is barely hanging on.

Population: ~110,000–150,000 individuals, decreasing (2016 Wikipedia-cited estimate: 110,000–125,000; BirdLife DataZone assessment: 130,000–150,000)
Habitat: Nests on marshy Arctic and sub-Arctic coastal tundra (dominated by water sedge and pendant grass) near lakes and ponds; non-breeding season spent in coastal bays, lagoons, and shallow nearshore marine waters
Fun fact: Ringing studies show Steller's Eiders can live over 21 years (21 years, 4 months is the documented ringing-derived longevity record) — a striking figure for a species that undertakes long transcontinental migrations between Russian and Alaskan breeding populations.
Range: Breeds along the Russian Arctic coast from the Yamal Peninsula to the Kolyma Delta and on Alaska's Arctic coastal plain (e.g., Utqiagvik); Russian-Atlantic birds winter in the Barents Sea/Novaya Zemlya, northern Norway, and Baltic Sea, while Russian-Pacific and Alaska-breeding birds winter in the Bering Sea, southwest Alaska, Alaska Peninsula, Aleutian Islands, and northern Japan
Diet: Crustaceans, mollusks, echinoderms, and polychaete worms taken by diving (to ~9 m) and dabbling in winter; aquatic insect larvae, seeds, and plant matter (e.g., crowberries, pondweeds) on the breeding tundra
Size: 0.45 m
Wingspan: 0.72 m
Lifespan: 21.3 years

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