Population status

Common Eider
(Somateria mollissima)

The Pacific Common Eider that breeds in Canada nests in the central Canadian Arctic and overwinters in the ice-free regions around the Bering Sea near Alaska and Russia. The Northern Common Eider breeds on small islands throughout the coastal areas of the eastern Canadian Arctic and winters along the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, and southwest Greenland. The Hudson Bay Common Eider breeds within Hudson Bay and winters in open water leads near the Belcher Islands and off the western coast of Quebec, while the American subspecies breeds from the south central Labrador coast in the north, down to Massachusetts in the south. Much of the information available on the Common Eider comes from the American subspecies, since its breeding colonies are more accessible (Bowman et al. 2015). The Northern population of the Common Eider is at an acceptable level relative to its national population goal, the American and Pacific populations are below the lowest acceptable level relative to their goals, and the Hudson Bay population is considered to be data deficient. Detailed information on the population status of waterfowl species is available in the Population Status of Migratory Game Birds in Canada report (summarized version). To obtain a copy of the full version of this report, including tables and graphs, please contact ec.scf-oismiggibiers-cws-miggamebirds.ec@canada.ca.

 

Population goal and acceptable levels of variation

Species/groupGoalLower levelUpper level
CanadaNot applicableNot applicableNot applicable
American RaceLong-term average of the time seriesEqual to goalNot applicable
Northern RaceLong-term average of the time series10th percentile of observed abundance (1970-2012)Not applicable
Hudson Bay RaceLong-term average of the time series10th percentile of observed abundance (1970-2012)Not applicable
Pacific RaceLong-term average of the time seriesEqual to goalNot applicable

Common Eider Winter Survey

Table 1: Population trends by geographic area
Geographic areaTime PeriodAnnual TrendLimits
LowerUpper
 

References