From Opus

Photo by jparks
Deadhorse, Alaska, June 2009

Somateria fischeri

[edit] Identification

52‑56 cm. Male breeding plumage - black chest, white back, and pale green head with a long, sloping forehead and white spectacle‑like patches around the eyes. During the late summer and autumn, males are entirely mottled brown. Females and juveniles are mottled brown year‑round with pale brown eye patches.

[edit] Distribution

Coastal northern Siberia east to northern Alaska

[edit] Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[1].

[edit] Habitat

For most of the year they are at sea, but for breeding they visit wet coastal tundra.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Diet

The diet includes molluscs, aquatic insects, crustaceans, and vegetation.

[edit] Breeding

They establish nests near shallow ponds or lakes. They build a lined nest, and 5–9 eggs are laid.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.4.xls/view.

• List of references

[edit] External Links