The spectacled eider (Somateria fischeri) gets its name comes from the large, distinct white circles around the eyes of both males and females which gives the appearance of wearing spectacles or goggles. Spectacled eiders nest along the Arctic coasts of northeast Siberia and Alaska, with major populations in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and the North Slope of Alaska. They winter in the Bering Sea, where they gather in ice-free gaps called polynyas located between St. Lawrence and St. Matthew Islands. They prefer wet tundra with an abundance of lakes, ponds, and rivers.
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