Spectacled Eider Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

There’s a whole world of behind-the-scenes magic that keeps the Alaska SeaLife Center running strong. While our animals, animal care teams, educators, and researchers often take center stage, today we’re celebrating a different member of out team. Watch as our graphic designer brings this stunning spectacled eider to life for our upcoming Wine by the Water event. Wildlife art like this helps us tell stories, spark curiosity, and connect people to the species we care for every day. What do you th

Turn your sound up for something incredible! Male spectacled eiders give a soft "hoo hoo" call during their courtship behaviors, which sounds like a low hum. The sound is so soft and low that it can be hard to hear, and it has only been recorded in spectacled eiders in human care. We've increased the bass in this audio to make this fascinating call more easily heard, and we have to say... being bird nerds ourselves... we're pretty geeked out about it! 💚 | Alaska SeaLife Center

Three spectacled eider ducklings have hatched at the ASLC, and our staff have been taking developmental photos at every stage of their growth! These arctic sea ducks grow extremely fast, and we have the unique opportunity to learn about their growth rate here at the ASLC ❤️ | Alaska SeaLife Center

The spectacled eider ducklings cannot get any cuter! 😍 Listen and see if you can hear this one calling over to his friend across the room. 📷: ASLC Aviculturist Laura | Alaska SeaLife Center

Our avian team jokingly calls the spectacled eider the “gateway duck,” because once you meet a spectacled eider, you’re pretty much guaranteed to be obsessed with ducks! This adorable moment was filmed in our behind-the-scenes eider flock area. Our media manager is always on the lookout for animal safety— keeping the animals safe and making sure the camera doesn’t turn into a duck toy! You can catch a glimpse here of the creative filming our media team does between safety barriers, which for thi

Meet your new obsession: Alcott the female spectacled eider 😍 Alcott is a confident and sassy girl, who frequently tells the other birds in the aviary how it is. She lives a good dabble, and although she’s less vibrant than her male counterpart, we think shes absolutely stunning! | Alaska SeaLife Center