Eider

The eider is a large diving duck that is about 60-70 cm long. Whilst it mostly lives by the sea, it does occasionally visit lakes. It is an excellent diver and can dive to a depth of ten metres. During the breeding season, eiders live in large colonies, males and females apart. In fact, the females team up and share the work of rearing the ducklings.

Appearance

The plumage varies over the year but the most prominent feature is the wedge-shaped bill. The male is white with a black cap, tail and belly. It has a light green patch on its neck and a tinge of reddish pink on its breast. The female has speckled brown feathers and a dark speculum outlined in white on its wings.

Similar bird

The female is similar to, but larger than, the female mallard.

Sounds and song

In the spring you can hear the male eider’s mating call out at sea – it has a distinctive ”a-oo-u” sound.

Song

Song female

Food

The eider lives mainly on blue mussels and other crustaceans and molluscs that it fishes up from the bottom of the sea.

The nest and hollows

Both the male and the female look for good places to build nests. They usually build them in rock crevices or between tufts of grass. The female then lines the nest with twigs, seaweed and down that she takes from her own body, which isn’t bad since eiderdown is considered to be the finest and warmest down that exists!

Distribution

Summer  Resident  Winter