#spectacled eider

[arctuuz]

Duckling

[amnhnyc]

Have you ever seen the Spectacled Eider (Somateria fischeri)? During breeding season, males sport green plumage in a pattern that's reminiscent of glasses. While this doesn't make their vision sharper, it does help males stand out from the crowd. For the rest of the year, they revert to mottled-brown plumage, similar to females, which have more subdued spectacles year-round. This duck is unique in that it lives in the frigid high Arctic. It sustains itself on a diet of mostly mollusks and crustaceans, diving to pluck prey from the ocean floor.

Photo: Olaf Oliviero Riemer, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

[birdblues]

Spectacled Eider

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

Have you seen the spectacled eider (Somateria fischeri)?

I have now

Yes, in photos/videos

Yes, irl

I'm not sure

Voting ended onFeb 4

[holopics]

spectacled eider

[north-american-duck-poll]

First Place Final

Red-breasted Merganser vs Spectacled Eider

Red-breasted Merganser

Spectacled Eider

Voting ended onNov 9, 2025

The Red-breasted Merganser is sexually dimorphic, meaning the males and females look different. The male has grey sides, black and white wings, a dark green head and, of course, a reddish-brown breast. The female has a grey body and a reddish-brown head. Both sexes have shaggy crests and orange bills that are thin and serrated, which they use to catch fish. They make their nests near water such as lakes, rivers, and marshes, and are the only North American mergansers to nest on the ground rather than in tree cavities.

The Spectacled Eider is sexually dimorphic, meaning the males and females look different. Males are black underneath with white backs and pale green heads. They have large white “spectacles” around their eyes and an orange bill that is partially covered by the feathers on their face. The females are brown with black barring on the body and pale brown "spectacles" around their eyes. Their North American range is mostly restricted to coastal areas of Alaska, where they can be found during the breeding season. Like other large eiders, they lay relatively small clutches compared to other ducks, averaging around 3-6 eggs, but sometimes as few as 1!

(image sources)

[renumuro]

Dragons are the first intelligent race in the Kaarum. Their unique blood not only heals wounds, but also causes various transformations in the organisms of those who consume it. They were the ones who gave rise to all other races.

[scavengersketches]

it’s weird duck wednesday! here’s a bunch of funky ducks I’ve drawn recently