Gardening Actions:

Create a place for wildlife
Make your yard a refuge for migratory birds.

Stop migratory birds from hitting your windows
Thousands of birds die each year on their migrations when hitting residential and commercial windows.

Create a haven for hummingbirds
Attract these tiny and colorful migrating birds.

Safe birdfeeding tips
The best food for birds comes from native plants, but if you offer feeders, here are some important tips.

Purchasing Actions:

Join NWF and help migratory birds
Your tax-deductible donation supports NWF's work to protect migratory birds and other imperiled wildlife. We'll acknowledge your gift with a complimentary plush animal. Thank you.

Buy bird-friendly coffee
Many birds spend the winter in South America. Help protect their homes from coffee growers. Purchasing this coffee also supports NWF.

Migration Route and Stopover Sites
King eiders are circumpolar, meaning they nest along the Arctic Circle. They spend time on most of the Arctic Islands and in parts of Alaska. During the winter, they migrate south to the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans where they range as far south as the United States, never venturing much further south than southern Alaska or Massachusetts.

Bird Size
16 inches

Threats
The king eider is threatened by habitat loss due to oil and gas development. It is also affected by water pollution and subsistence farming.

Interesting Facts
King eiders remain the same colors year-round. There is no difference between their winter and breeding plumages. While they are sea ducks, they have a few habits that are different from their close relatives. King eiders do not breed in colonies or on ocean islands; rather, breeding pairs move inland, sometimes quite a distance from the ocean, where they build a nest and incubate the eggs.

Send king eider e-cards Invite your friend to come learn about this amazing bird.