| Common Eider (Somateria mollissima (Linnaeus, 1758)) |
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Scientific name: Somateria mollissima (Linnaeus, 1758) Common name: Common Eider French name: Eider à duvet Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Size: Body size: 50 to 71 cm; Weight: 1200 to 2800 g; Wingspan: 80 to 105 cm. Habitat: Rocky or sandy sea coasts with a few moves along rivers or to large fresh water lakes in winter. Food: The Common Eider is a diving duck which mainly feeds on molluscs and crustaceans. Nesting: The nest is located on the ground near the shore. It is largely lined with the female's down. She lays 4 to 6 eggs in May-June. Since the old days, people of very northern countries collect the down after the young birds are gone to make warm clothes. The Eiderdown is the source of many foreign language words like "edredon" in French. Migration: The Common Eider breeds on northern coasts in summer and move slightly southwards to over winter. Geographic area: Northern Atlantic coasts, northern coasts of Canada and Alaska, north-western coasts of Siberia. |
The Common Eider is a large size duck showing a triangle-shaped head with a flat forehead aligned with a wedge-shaped bill. The cap, the lateral sides of the body, the under side, the rump and the tail are black on the male in nuptial plumage. This black colour contrasts with the white colour of the cheeks and of the upper side. This is also the case with the pinkish colour of the breast. The nape is green with a small white line. The male Common Eider becomes almost black in eclipse plumage. The female is dark brown and striated with dark. Juveniles are similar to females, being usually a little darker. The flight of the Common Eider differs from the flight of other ducks by alternating wing beats and gliding. |
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I have done my first observation of a Common Eider during a walk along the sandy coast, western of Den Helder and under a heavy rain. |
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I have observed this solitary male Common Eider, at low tide, at De Cocksdorp on the northern part of the Texel island. I was trying to approach the numerous waders on the coast of the Wadden sea. My short stay, with a grey and rainy weather, did not permit me to shoot vey nice pictures. |
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These Common Eiders, observed in the entrance channel of the Húsavík harbour while returning from a whale watching tour, seem to be juveniles or males in eclipse plumage rather than females. They are a dark and non-striated colour. |
André Bon February 2020
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