Birds · Anseriformes · Anatidae

Common Eider

Somateria mollissima

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The female plucks down from her own breast to line the nest, an extraordinarily insulating material known as eiderdown, traditionally collected by Arctic communities.

Weight

850 g – 3 kg

Size

50 cm – 71 cm

Lifespan

15 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Herd

Lives in large groups as a strategy against predators.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

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Fun facts

The female plucks down from her own breast to line the nest — eiderdown.
It is the largest duck in the northern hemisphere.
Males leave the female as incubation begins, so she is alone for almost four weeks.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - pneumatised bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Rocky Arctic and subarctic coasts of the northern hemisphere, on both the Atlantic and the Pacific
Birth weight: Exact weight at hatching not found as a precise figure
Size at birth: Precocial, covered in dark brown down, able to swim and feed itself almost at once
Sexual maturity: Female: ~2 years | Male: ~3 years
Gestation / incubation: 25-28 days
Litter / clutch size: 2 to 8 eggs per clutch (most commonly 4-5)

Sources consulted: Planet of Birds; A-Z Animals; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Animal Diversity Web; Simply Birding; U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; Massachusetts government wildlife fact sheet