King Eider

King Eiders prefer cold, coastal waters, spending much of the year in ice-free arctic and subarctic marine environments. They are known for their remarkable diving ability, reaching depths of up to 55 meters to forage on the ocean floor. Their diet primarily consists of a variety of aquatic invertebrates, including mollusks, crustaceans, and sea urchins, which they skillfully extract from the seabed.

During the breeding season, King Eiders migrate to the northernmost coastlines and islands of the Arctic, where females lay their eggs in shallow depressions on the ground, lining them with down plucked from their own breasts. This species exhibits a high degree of fidelity to their breeding sites, often returning to the same location year after year.

The conservation status of the King Eider is currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, although certain populations are facing pressures from habitat degradation, oil pollution, and climate change. These threats particularly affect their breeding habitats and food availability, prompting conservationists to monitor their populations closely.

Efforts to conserve the King Eider and its habitat include protecting critical breeding and foraging areas, regulating hunting to ensure sustainable populations, and conducting research to better understand the impacts of environmental changes on their life cycle. The King Eider remains a symbol of the pristine Arctic wilderness, and its presence indicates the health of marine ecosystems in these regions.