scholarly journals Mortality of Common Eider, Somateria mollissima (Linnaeus, 1758), and other water birds during two inshore oiling events in southeastern Newfoundland, 2005 and 2006

2014 ◽  
Vol 128 (3) ◽  
pp. 235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory J. Robertson ◽  
Scott G. Gilliland ◽  
Pierre C. Ryan ◽  
Johanne Dussureault ◽  
Kyran Power ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Pollution ◽  
Common Eider ◽  
Somateria Mollissima ◽  
Marine Birds ◽  
Sea Ducks ◽  
Marine Oil ◽  
Aerial Surveys ◽  
Common Eiders ◽  
The Common ◽  
Water Birds

Although the waters off Newfoundland harbour millions of wintering marine birds, chronic marine oil pollution has been repeatedly reported. Unusually high numbers (hundreds) of oiled birds were noted following two events in March 2005 and April 2006 in southeastern Newfoundland. Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima [Linnaeus, 1758]) were the main victims in the first event, with at least 1400 affected, based on retrieval of carcasses and aerial surveys. The April 2006 event affected 19 species; Common Eiders were again the most numerous with a minimum of 337 birds oiled. Among the Common Eiders affected in both events, most were the northern type, including the borealis (C. L. Brehm, 1824) subspecies and presumed intergrades between borealis and dresseri Sharpe, 1871. Coupled with the legal harvest, these oiling events may have had an effect on the wintering Common Eider population. Alcids, other sea ducks, loons and gulls were also oiled, but in low numbers (< 100); thus, their populations were not likely affected by these events.

Contaminants in common eiders (Somateria mollissima) of the Canadian Arctic

2004 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 197-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark L Mallory ◽  
Birgit M Braune ◽  
Mark Wayland ◽  
H Grant Gilchrist ◽  
D Lynne Dickson
Keyword(s):  
Trace Elements ◽  
Organic Pollutants ◽  
Persistent Organic Pollutants ◽  
Canadian Arctic ◽  
Common Eider ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Adult Bird ◽  
Somateria Mollissima ◽  
Marine Birds ◽  
Common Eiders

Contamination of the Arctic environment by persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and trace elements remains a key concern for local residents as well as wildlife and resource management organizations. The common eider (Somateria mollissima) is a large marine duck that forms an important component of the diet of many Arctic predators, including humans. Although various studies have been carried out to evaluate the role of a few contaminants thought to be of local concern, efforts to assess contaminant residues in eider tissues have not been comprehensive. In this review, we summarize the available information on POPs and trace elements in common eiders across the Canadian Arctic. With the exception of one adult bird collected near Qikiqtarjuaq, Nunavut, eiders had detectable but low concentrations of most POPs, in some cases markedly lower than European eiders, and in all cases far lower than POP levels found in sympatric marine birds. However, common eiders did have elevated concentrations of many trace elements, noticeably cadmium, selenium, and copper, but these were below levels associated with toxicological risk to marine birds. Although the collective evidence suggests that common eiders of the Canadian Arctic may carry elevated levels of some contaminants, there was no evidence that these levels posed a threat to wildlife health. Key words: common Eider, persistent organic pollutants, trace elements, Arctic Canada.

Female sociality in the common eider duck during brood rearing

1982 ◽  
Vol 60 (12) ◽  
pp. 3326-3331 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. K. Schmutz ◽  
R. J. Robertson ◽  
F. Cooke
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Care ◽  
Adaptive Significance ◽  
Common Eider ◽  
Somateria Mollissima ◽  
Brood Rearing ◽  
The Common ◽  
Nutrient Reserves ◽  
Prolactin Hormone

This study investigates the potential adaptive significance of the behavior of female common eider ducks (Somateria mollissima) which have no young of their own ("aunts") but accompany other females and young. "Aunts" exhibited ambivalent aggression and protection toward ducklings. There was no evidence that the presence of "aunts" enhanced the survival of the ducklings they accompanied. Both females which had their clutch removed and females which had not laid eggs behaved as "aunts." The level of circulating prolactin hormone in "aunts" was lower than in incubating females and similar to the basal level of males. We therefore rejected the hypothesis that maternal care was misdirected during hormonal adjustment from breeding to nonbreeding. We suggest that "aunts" which have lost a clutch or brood, spend some time feeding away from the colony, and then return to the nesting grounds after replenishing their nutrient reserves. Upon returning, "aunts" may select sites for nesting in future years. During this time, they are temporarily attracted to broods. We propose that "aunts" flock and fend off predators during an attack in an attempt to seek safety in a flock rather than to protect ducklings of other females.

Sex and age structures of the White Sea endemic population of the common eider Somateria mollissima

2010 ◽  
Vol 435 (1) ◽  
pp. 435-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu. V. Krasnov ◽  
M. V. Gavrilo ◽  
A. A. Shavykin ◽  
P. S. Vashchenko
Keyword(s):  
White Sea ◽  
Common Eider ◽  
Somateria Mollissima ◽  
The White Sea ◽  
Endemic Population ◽  
The Common ◽  
Age Structures

Parental care in the common eider (Somateria mollissima): factors affecting abandonment and adoption of young

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 1538-1545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan O. Bustnes ◽  
Kjell E. Erikstad
Keyword(s):  
Parental Care ◽  
Somateria Mollissima ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Lower Survival Rate ◽  
Duckling Survival ◽  
Energetic Stress ◽  
Lower Body Weight ◽  
Common Eiders ◽  
The Common ◽  
Individual Strategies

Parental care in common eiders (Somateria mollissima) was studied during three field seasons in northern Norway. Forty-two percent of the females were found to abandon their brood. Abandonment and tending of broods and crèches were not obligate individual strategies, but changed between years. Females abandoning their young laid smaller clutches and had a lower body weight at hatching than brood- and crèche-tending females, indicating that they were in poor body condition. This supports the hypothesis that abandoning the brood is a salvage strategy in which energetic stress limits females' ability to care for their young. Young of "abandoners" seemed to have a lower survival rate than young of "tenders," which suggests a reproductive cost of abandoning the young. Forty-seven percent of tagged ducklings were found with females other than their mother. Twenty-seven percent of the brood- and crèche-tending females lost young to other females, but never more than one duckling. Adoptions of foreign ducklings, above the normal brood size of four, did not lead to greater parental effort, and duckling survival was similar among broods and crèches of different sizes. This suggests that adoptions may be of neutral adaptive value. Two females often formed stable crèches, but duckling survival was not significantly different from that in broods and crèches with single females.

Eider husbandry in the North Atlantic: trends and prospects

Polar Record ◽  
1979 ◽  
Vol 19 (122) ◽  
pp. 447-459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin W. Doughty
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Reproductive Potential ◽  
Somateria Mollissima ◽  
Marine Birds ◽  
Mutual Dependence ◽  
The North ◽  
Sea Birds ◽  
The Common ◽  
The North Atlantic

Mankind's relationships with animals consist mainly of preying on them or selecting and controlling useful traits through domestication. The tradition of manipulating populations to conserve animals is ancient. Old laws in western Europe restricted hunting to the upper classes, and regulations have governed the killing of mammals and birds for food. Inhabitants of Britain's remote St Kilda Island, for example, lived off sea birds for 150 years, taking into account the breeding requirements and reproductive potential of several species. Marine birds provide good examples of how different patterns of animal exploitation and conservation have become established. The utilization of one such bird the Common Eider Somateria mollissima demonstrates a rare mutual dependence between man and animal.

scholarly journals Helminthes of the Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) on the Eastern Murman, its impact on the digestive activity and physiological state

2019 ◽  
Vol 487 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-110
Author(s):  
M. M. Kuklina ◽  
V. V. Kuklin
Keyword(s):  
Small Intestine ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Intestinal Mucosa ◽  
Physiological State ◽  
Common Eider ◽  
Somateria Mollissima ◽  
Control Parameters ◽  
Hematological Indices ◽  
The Common ◽  
Digestive Activity

An ecological and physiological study of Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) nesting on the coast of Eastern Murman was carried out. The species composition of helminthofauna of birds and the quantitative parameters of the infection were studied. It is established that trematodes of the genus Microphallus, three species of cestodes - Lateriporus teres (Cestoda: Dilepididae), Fimbriarioides intermedia (Cestoda: Hymenolepididae), Microsomacanthus diorchis (Cestoda: Hymenolepididae) and one species of acanthocephalan - Polymorphus phippsi (Palaeacanthocephala: Polymorphidae) parasitized in the small intestine of Common Eider. It is shown that the activity of proteases decreased at the locations of F. intermedia and M. diorchis in the intestines of birds, with infestation with the acanthocephalan P. phippsi, on the contrary, increased. The activity of glycosides in the intestinal mucosa was reduced in comparison with the control values by infection cestodes M. diorchis. There was an increase in the values of hematological indices in infected individuals relative to the control parameters.

scholarly journals Suspected Long-Term Population Increases in Common Eiders, Somateria mollissima, on the Mid-Labrador Coast, 1980, 1994, and 2006

2009 ◽  
Vol 123 (4) ◽  
pp. 304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith G. Chaulk
Keyword(s):  
Adult Male ◽  
Southern Region ◽  
Population Trends ◽  
Somateria Mollissima ◽  
Aerial Surveys ◽  
Common Eiders

Aerial surveys for adult male Common Eiders, Somateria mollissima, were flown on the Labrador coast during June 2006. This information was then compared with aerial counts of adult male Common Eiders collected in 1980 and 1994. For each survey year, data were grouped and paired by coastal block and were analyzed for population trends. Overall, the observed counts of adult male Common Eiders increased by 244% between 1980 and 2006. Much of this increase seemed to occur in the southern region of the study area.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document