Population Structure of Pacific Common Eiders Breeding in Alaska
This study examined migration, genetic structure, and breeding and wintering ecology of Pacific Common EidersAbstract
The number of breeding Pacific common eiders in western Alaska has declined precipitously from 1957 to 1994, as have the numbers of Pacific common eiders nesting in the western Canadian arctic. The extent of the apparent decline in breeding Pacific common eiders, the unknown status of the northern Alaska nesting population, and the uncertainty regarding its distribution throughout the rest of the year has resulted in USFWS, Region 7, Alaska, designating the Pacific common eider as a Species-at-Risk. The potential causes of the population decline are unknown. The lack of basic information on Pacific common eiders is a problem to managers who are confronted with effects of expanded human development (e.g., offshore drilling and buried pipelines in the Beaufort Sea). This study is determining if various nesting populations of Pacific common eiders are declining in response to local conditions on the breeding grounds and/or if birds experience problems on the wintering areas. The primary objectives are to: (1) identify wintering, staging, and molting areas of breeding common eiders, (2) describe habitats used by birds during winter, migration, staging, and molt, (3) determine survival during the non-breeding season, (4) and use satellite transmitters and genetic markers to examine migration and dispersal patterns.
Products
Contacts
Petersen, Margaret R., 907-786-7180Status: completed
Start Year: 2005
End Year: 2013
Project Sites
Location
Aleutian IslandsNorth Slope Borough
Saint Lawrence Island
Seward Peninsula
Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge
USGS Mission Area and Program
Ecosystems → Wildlife ProgramMajor Initiatives
JV - Sea Duck Joint VentureUSGS - Wetlands and Terrestrial Ecology