The King Eider, conspicuous for the male’s elegant plumage, is a common nester on the ArcticCoastal Plain of Alaska. King Eiders typically nest in wet lowland tundra with many small pondsand pools, islands, and wet marshes. Dry tundra is also used when small lakes and ponds areavailable nearby as foraging areas (Powell and Suydam 2012). Unlike other eiders, this species isnot as closely tied to coastal breeding habitats. During the breeding season, their diet is primarilyomnivorous (Powell and Suydam 2012). Alaskan breeders spend their winters in marineenvironments mostly in the Bering Sea and along the Aleutians (Powell and Suydam 2012).Eider populations have declined since the 1970s (Powell and Suydam 2012). Current ArcticCoastal Plain population is estimated at approximately 15,000 (Larned et al. 2005).
