Right now you can follow 26 King Eiders on their migration in Eastern Canada and West Greenland. You can follow the movements of the birds on these maps:

• King Eiders from East Bay, Canada (marked July 2003)
• King Eiders from Disko Island, Greenland (marked Sep. 2003)

In July 2003 researchers from NERI and Canadian Wildlife Service captured 10 King Eiders in East Bay in Nunavut, North East Canada, and equipped each of the birds with a satellite transmitter. In September the researchers were heading for West Greenland, where further 16 King Eiders were captured at Disko Island and likewise equipped with satellite transmitters.

The transmitters tell where the birds are located, thereby giving the biologists important information on habitat use and migration of the King Eiders.

The map shows the migration routes and position of the eiders. You can choose to see the routes and positions of all the eiders at the same time or to see only one specific bird at a time. You can also display the movements of the birds for the full period or for a specific time interval. Finally, you can choose to display the most precise positions only (precision high (3-1)). If you choose to display all the information (precision middle / low), you must be aware that some of the low quality positions are inaccurate (several kilometres off target). The map is automatically updated when new positions on the birds arrive from the satellite.

Close-up of King Eider male. Photo: Anders Mosbech, NERI	Close-up of King Eider hen. Photo: Anders Mosbech, NERI

National Environmental Research Institute, Dept. of Arctic Environment and the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources have also satellite tracked 10 King Eiders captured in the moulting area Umiarfik in Upernavik, Northwest Greenland in 1999. Results from this study can be found here:

• King Eiders in i Upernavik

Background

West Greenland is an important moulting, staging and wintering area for King Eiders. Most of these breed in north-eastern Canada and some in north-western Greenland, while king eiders do not breed in West Greenland.

The number of King Eiders that moult in Western Greenland has declined during the last 50 years. Based on aerial surveys of post-breeding king eiders in 1993-95 researchers estimated that 30-40,000 birds moult in western Greenland, which is a considerably decline compared to estimates of 200,000 from the 1950s.

Ground surveys of breeding king eiders in Rasmussens Lowlands, eastern Canadian Arctic, revealed an 86 % decrease in King Eider abundance from 1976 to 1994-95.

Surveys in Southwest greenland suggest that about 300,000 King Eiders were wintering in open water areas in the 1990s. This is however a very rough estimate and we do not yet know if there is a trend in the number the number of King Eiders in the wintering area. The migration of the birds within the wintering area is one thing among others where knowledge is lacking.

Objectives

National Environmental Research Institute, Dept. of Arctic Environment, the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources and Canadian Wildlife Service have joined together to collect and provide knowledge on the King Eider to support a sustainable management of the King Eider .

The objective of the satellite tracking study is to:

• acquire more knowledge on the migration routes and staging areas of the King Eiders.
• acquire more knowledge on the moulting areas of the King Eiders.
• link breeding grounds and wintering areas and to gain knowledge about local movements in the wintering areas.

The researchers use satellite transmitters to indentify the most important areas for the birds and to map the link between breeding grounds and moulting and wintering areas.

In addition the following elements are part of the research on the King Eiders:

• analysis of the hunting pressure on the King Eiders in West Greenland. As a supplement to the official catch statistics , Piniarneq, researchers together with the hunters try to carry out a detailed study on the catch of the two species of eiders in selected areas of West Greenland.
• analysis of stomach content plus an analysis of concentrations of stable isotopes and fatty acids, which can tell about composition of the food when the bird is caught and in a period before.
• analysis of genetic variation in the King Eiders to clarify if King Eiders from different locations at the wintering area can be seperated and related to certain breeding areas in Canada.

Collaboration and financing

This is a joint project between the National Environmental Research Institute, Dept. of Arctic Environment, the Greenland, Institute of Natural Resources, the Royal Veterinary University and Canadian Wildlife Service. The present project has received financial support from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency as part of the environmental support program Dancea - Danish Cooperation for Environment in the Arctic, from North American Sea Duck Joint Venture and Nunavut Wildlife Management Board.

Contacts

NERI: Anders Mosbech, Dept. of Arctic Environment, amo@dmu.dk

GINR: Flemming Ravn Merkel, merkel@natur.gl

Additional information about the King Eider:

• Den kongeederfuglens biologi
• Baggrund for satellitsporingen
• Information om satellitsenderne
• Litteratur om ederfugle