Spectacled eider - description, habitat, interesting facts

Among the numerous species of waterfowl, one can distinguish spectacled eider, which is also called fishery. The first name is absolutely understandable - it is caused by the unusual color of the eider, which, as it were, wore beautiful white glasses, which almost completely hide the halo of the eye. Fisherova eider is named after the discoverer of this species - Grigory Fisher, who was a famous Russian scientist - a zoologist, bird watcher, biologist, etc. What is a bird, how does it look and where does it live, let's try to understand this article.

Description of the appearance of spectacle eider

Fisher's eider is quite large, one of the largest family of ducks. She has a large head, a short massive neck and a long, tapered beak. The body length is approximately 55-60 cm, the weight of the average male is about one and a half kilograms. The drake of the spectacle eider in color can be compared with the male of the common eider - it has the same soft cream-colored top, a smoky area of ​​feathers above the tail and around the abdomen. But in a regular eider, the breast has a pinkish color, but the spectacle has a black plumage. A distinctive feature of the birds of this species is the huge spots around the eyes, which gave the eider its name. The drakes have white spots with black bordering, and the females have brown or gray glasses. Another feature is the fairly wide and large beak, which is noticeably distinguished in individuals of both sexes. On the back of the head, the spectacle eider has beautiful elongated feathers that form a mane or bundle. The color of the male is very bright - the forehead and cheeks, as well as the upper part of the head, are green, the beak is flashy-orange. A similar color is characteristic of the mating season, but in summer the brightness of the outfit is lost, the male acquires more plain gray shades. The female of the spectacle eider is not much different from the usual representative of the species; in any period of the year it has a brown color with small bright spots. From other species, the female of the spectacle eider differs only in its characteristic spots around the eyes.

Spectacle eider habitat

Spectacled Eider feeding and nesting

Spectacled eider is not a bird of prey; it feeds mainly on mollusks, for which it is necessary to dive to great depths. In addition, the eider can enjoy crustaceans and small fish, but this is not the main diet of its diet. During the nesting period, when the eider spends most of the time on the shore, the birds eagerly eat berries, young shoots, grass seeds. Various insects and their larvae are also present in the diet.

The spectacle eider flies to the nesting sites already in the formed pair, the female herself finds a place to build the nest. As a rule, this is a place from which the surroundings along the coast of lakes with swampy low areas are clearly visible. Spectacled eider nests separately from other birds and even relatives. Rarely, several pairs of spectacled eiders can settle on the territories rugged by the coastline.In a dry grassy shelter, the female rakes moss or soil, lining the bed of the nest with weeds. In clutch there are usually about 5 eggs, which are laid in a row for several days. The female carefully shelters her offspring with warm fluff torn from her plumage. The future mother sits on the eggs quite tightly, protects the chicks, even if the person comes to the individual as close as possible. The clutch incubates for about 3-4 weeks, the chicks hatch all together, with an interval of several hours. Males do not participate in hatching and feeding chicks; right after laying the last egg, they fly away. Immediately after the chicks hatch, the female takes them to the water. As a rule, the first 2-3 months the chicks live in freshwater bodies of water and only when they are fully fledged, the mother will lead a brood to the sea, where adolescents gradually disperse.

Interesting facts about spectacle eider

The more we learn about birds of various species, the more diverse and amazing their life seems.

1. Most chicks of the spectacle eider do not survive due to predators who are not averse to feasting on a young brood. Birds of prey find their prey by the characteristic squeak of chicks, which is distributed from dense thickets.
2. The collection of spectacle eider fluff is not practiced unlike an ordinary bird of this species. Unbelievably soft and warm blankets and pillows are made from the fluff of an ordinary eider, which can protect from the cold even in severe frosts. The fluff is collected in the nests where the chicks were hatched - this is not how the eider population suffers. It is also a valuable product for the production of climbing clothing.
3. To protect all types of eider in Canada, the San Hubert Nature Reserve was built.
4. The bird is considered quite quiet, characteristic sounds can be heard only during the mating season. Moreover, the males scream like an eagle owl, and the sounds of the female, as a rule, are more like a duck.
5. During the formation of the pair, the male intensively cares for the female, cooing and courting his lady of the heart. The spectacle eider has one of the longest courtship periods among all birds of this species.

Spectacled eider has an unusual appearance, which sometimes seems ridiculous and even absurd. However, the bird is really smart and peculiar, which allowed it to take its rightful place among the favorites in the hearts of many ornithologists.