On the cold waters of the Alaska Peninsula, buoyant lines of Steller's Eider are punctuated by the bright white heads of the males. This diving duck may seem far removed from the usual threats to waterbirds. But, perhaps like the Labrador Duck, which went extinct before its life history was understood, the Steller's Eider has been slowly declining for decades, for unknown reasons. Smallest of the world's four eider species, it is now the least numerous.

In Alaska, the range of the Steller's Eider has been shrinking dramatically since the 1960s. It now breeds at only a few scattered locations along Alaska's central and northern coast, with greatest densities near Barrow. Two other populations breed along Russia's Arctic coastline. In North America, its winter range is almost entirely confined to the Alaska Peninsula west of Cape Douglas through the Aleutian Islands. Steller's Eider also winters north of the Arctic Circle in Europe and along the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula.

 

A legend for the range map to the right can be found here.

In the 20^th century, breeding Steller's Eider numbers have been low, and so variable that single counts cannot be accurate. Between 1990 and 1998, an average of 4,800 pairs bred in Alaska. There may now be as few as 500 pairs. Numbers of wintering birds are also difficult to estimate due to populations shifting, perhaps in response to global warming. Most Steller's Eiders winter along the Alaska Peninsula, where numbers have dropped from an estimated 500,000 in the 1960s to less than 200,000 in the 1990s. Since the 1930s, surveys are finding fewer and fewer breeding males.

Overall, Steller's Eiders appears to be slowly declining, and conservationists do not know why. Without accurate information on populations, mortality, and causes for breeding failure, recovery plans cannot be designed. In 1997, the United States designated the Steller's Eider as "threatened," against the objections of Alaska's Department of Fish and Game. In Alaska, this unique marine duck only has "special concern" status. A court order in 1999 forced the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to designate critical habitat for the Steller's Eider: Kuskokwim Shoals, the Seal Islands, Nelson Lagoon, and Izembek Lagoon.

 

The USFWS Recovery Plan calls for predator management near Barrow, Alaska, where human activities, especially the town dump, attract and support foxes and ravens. The plan has specific strategies for reducing this eider's exposure to lead, which was measured at toxic levels in 2000. It does not address the pollution and habitat destruction caused by the extraction and inevitable spilling of petroleum, the decline of fisheries, and the habitat changes caused by global warming, which has been correlated to population declines in Europe.

 

If you visit Alaska, look for the Steller's Eider in its native habitat. A guided tour may yield the best results in summer and minimize disturbance to nesting eiders.

 

Support the use of steel shot in Alaska. Lead ammunition is illegal in most Alaskan habitats but continues to be used legally in uplands, and illegally in wetlands.

 

Protect the critical habitat of the Steller's Eider by supporting the continued moratorium on offshore drilling in Bristol Bay. Support the withdrawal of this area from the proposed Offshore Oil and Gas Lease Sale Program. Learn more about this issue at the Alaska Marine Conservation Council and read the Minerals Management Service's draft proposal.

 

Help conserve energy by car pooling, improving the energy efficiency of your home, and using alternative energy sources. For an overview of wind power, see Audubon's Issues and Actions.

 

For more actions you can take, including Audubon activities, please visit our resources page.

Visit our resources page for more information about this species.

 

Sibley, David Allen. The Sibley Guide to Birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 2000.

 

U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2001."Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Final Determination of Critical Habitat for the Alaska-Breeding Population of the Steller's Eider." 50 CFR Part 17 RIN 1018-AF95 (March 5, 2001) 8849-8884.

 

U. S. Wildlife Service. 2002. Steller's Eider Recovery Plan.  Fairbanks, Alaska.