Timing and Distance of King Eider Migration and Winter Movements

Understanding the patterns, extent, and phenology of migration is important for estimating potential influences of habitat or climate changes on populations of migratory birds. We used satellite telemetry of 100 individual King Eiders (Somateria spectabilis) tagged in northwestern North America in 2002–2006 to describe the timing and extent of their migration and winter movements in the Bering Sea. We found high variability in timing of migration events and distances flown. Arrival on breeding grounds and onset of molt migration were the least variable events in duration. Fall migration was extremely variable, ranging from less than a week to several months. More than a third of King Eiders did not migrate after wing molt and wintered on or near wing-molting areas. We found diffuse migratory connectivity between breeding and wintering areas, and low intrayear fidelity to 25 km radius wintering sites. More than half of the King Eiders used several wintering sites in a given year, and their winter ranges were considerably larger than those of other sea duck species. We identified three distinct wintering regions in the Bering Sea that were several hundred km apart, among which no movements occurred from late December until April. The onset of spring migration was earlier for birds wintering farther south, but arrival time on breeding grounds was not correlated with wintering latitude. We conclude that high phenotypic plasticity in migratory traits may render King Eiders more likely to respond to environmental shifts than sea duck species that show stronger migratory connectivity.