The common eider has again placed Denmark at the centre of a key question in modern wildlife management: how to make decisions about a sensitive species using data that is reliable, verifiable and useful to science.
According to information published by FACE and a technical report from Danmarks Jægerforbund, volunteer hunters took part in a new national eider count in March 2026 to assess the sex ratio of Denmark’s wintering population.
The survey produced a broad snapshot, although the report notes some methodological limitations: 22,090 birds were recorded at 58 coastal locations, including 13,986 males and 8,104 females. The final ratio was 63.3% males and 36.7% females.
The report says the figures confirm a persistent male bias in the population, although the 2026 ratio returned to levels similar to those recorded in 2011 after higher male percentages were observed in 2021 and 2024.
Why the number of females matters
The central issue is not only how many eiders are present, but how the population is structured. For Somateria mollissima, the Danish report notes that the species is in decline and that females are especially important for reproduction.
Understanding the balance between males and females therefore helps assess whether management decisions, including hunting rules, are based on a strong enough biological foundation.
In Denmark, according to FACE, male eiders may be hunted, while females are protected. That regulatory distinction means bag statistics and wing surveys can provide useful information, but not always enough to describe the true composition of the population.
That is why targeted counts such as this one matter. They are designed to fill a specific data gap: the proportion of males and females present in monitored areas before the spring movement towards breeding grounds.
Volunteer hunters in the field
The technical report states that 41 volunteer hunters took part in the survey, carried out on 14 and 15 March 2026. A total of 68 coastal points were covered, although 10 observations involving fewer than 20 eiders were excluded from the analysis to reduce potential bias from small sample sizes.
Most observations were made from land, with some also carried out from anchored boats. Participants recorded males and females separately through visual identification, including both resting birds and birds in movement.
The data were later compiled and analysed centrally by Danmarks Jægerforbund. The report also states that the data will be available for scientific analysis that may contribute to the sustainable management of eiders in Denmark.
Applied science for sustainable hunting
The Danish case is relevant because it shows a practical form of cooperation between the hunting sector, science and public management. Rather than making a general argument in favour of hunting, the project contributes field data on a species under active monitoring.
FACE describes the initiative as an example of citizen science, while the technical report includes scientific commentary from Thomas Kjær Christensen of Aarhus University and DCE, Denmark’s National Centre for Environment and Energy.
The international context is also important. Under AEWA, the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds, the common eider is covered by an international action plan and adaptive management recommendations.
A DCE document from Aarhus University on eider monitoring in Denmark had already highlighted the need to strengthen surveillance of the species, including counts, monitoring of breeding areas and data on the proportion of females in the population.
0 comments
There are no approved comments yet.
Leave a comment