Common eiders (Somateria mollissima), representing the only coastal benthic-feeding species within the scope of the project, are being instrumented with GLS and GPS loggers at 12 SEATRACK localities.
The Common eider has been a SEATRACK species since the start of the programme in 2014.
The IUCN categorizes the European common eider population as “Near threatened”, due to moderate declines in recent years.
Common eiders are distributed over the northern coasts of Europe, North America, eastern Siberia and southern Greenland. It breeds in the Arctic and northern temperate regions, but its range expands during winter.
The common eider is the only duck included in SEATRACK and since male eiders do not partake in incubation or chick-rearing only females are instrumented with loggers.
Breeding males have a white head except for a black coronal region, divided by white streak over central crown to nape and pale green patches on nape and rear-ear coverts. Their upperparts are white, breast is rosy-pink, rump, tail and rest of underparts are black. Females are brown with black bars.
Eiders mainly feed on marine and aquatic invertebrates, mostly molluscs and crustaceans.
Featured image: Sébastien Descamps.
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