Steller's Eider

Polysticta stelleri (Pallas, 1769)

≈42 cmLength807 gWeight

Steller's eider (Polysticta stelleri) is a migratory Arctic sea duck that breeds along the coastlines of Russia and Alaska, as well as in the Baltic Sea.

Busiest months: May–June · Most records: United States, Norway, Sweden

Vulnerable

How to identify

Field marks

Male in breeding plumage has pale green patches at the rear of the head and in front of the eye
Upperwing has a blue-purple speculum edged with white

Male, female and young

Female dark brown to cinnamon-brown, with a whitish eye-ring; male dark brown from midsummer to autumn, resembling female but retaining white on the inner forewing.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: May–June · Most records: United States, Norway, Sweden

Steller's Eider has been recorded at 46 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 13 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

To protect this bird from disturbance, we don't list exact sites.

Countries and regions with the most records

United States Norway Sweden Finland Estonia Faroe Islands Åland Islands Latvia

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

Steller's eider (Polysticta stelleri) is a migratory Arctic sea duck that breeds along the coastlines of Russia and Alaska, as well as in the Baltic Sea. It is the smallest, and fastest flying of the duck species known as eiders; it is closely related to the other species of eider in the genus Somateria, but sufficiently distinct to be given separate recognition as the only member of the genus Polysticta.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Steller's Eider?

The Steller's Eider is about ≈42 cm long and weighs around 807 g.

Where does the Steller's Eider live?

Its breeding range: North America, Palearctic: northwestern, northeastern Siberia from Yamal Peninsula to Chukotka; and Arctic Coastal Plain, northern Alaska. It is most often recorded in United States, Norway and Sweden.