Common eiders in the breeding season on Texel, the Netherlands
Thecommon eider (pronounced/ˈaɪ.dər/) (Somateria mollissima), also calledSt. Cuthbert's duck orCuddy's duck, is a large (50–71 cm (20–28 in) in body length)sea-duck that is distributed over the northern coasts ofEurope,North America and easternSiberia. It breeds inArctic and some northern temperate regions, butwinters somewhat farther south intemperate zones, when it can form large flocks on coastal waters. It can fly at speeds up to 113 km/h (70 mph).[2]
The eider's nest is built close to the sea and is lined witheiderdown, plucked from the female's breast. This soft and warm lining has long been harvested for filling pillows and quilts, but in more recent years has been largely replaced by down from domestic farm-geese and synthetic alternatives. Although eiderdown pillows or quilts are now a rarity—typically being marketed asluxury goods—eiderdown harvesting continues and is sustainable, as it can be done after the ducklings leave the nest with no harm to the birds.
The common eider is both the largest of the foureider species and the largestduck found in Europe, and is exceeded in North America only by smatterings of theMuscovy duck, which only reaches North America in a wild state in southernmost Texas (and arguably south Florida where feral but non-native populations reside). It measures 50 to 71 cm (19+1⁄2 to 28 in) in length, weighs0.81 to 3.04 kg (1 lb12+1⁄2 oz to 6 lb 11 oz) and spans 80–110 cm (31–43 in) across the wings.[7][8] The average weight of 22 males in theNorth Atlantic was 2.21 kg (4 lb 14 oz) while 32 females weighed an average of1.92 kg (4 lb3+1⁄2 oz).[9] It is characterized by its bulky shape and large, wedge-shaped bill. The male is distinct, with its black and white plumage and green nape. The female is a brown bird, but can still be readily distinguished from all ducks, except other eider species, on the basis of size and head shape. The drake's display call is a strange almost human-like "ah-ooo", while the hen utters hoarse quacks. The species is often readily approachable.
Drakes of the European, eastern North American and Asia/western North American races can be distinguished by minor differences in plumage and bill colour. Some authorities place the subspeciesv-nigra as a separate species.
This species dives for crustaceans and molluscs, withmussels being a favoured food. The eider will eat mussels by swallowing them whole; the shells are then crushed in theirgizzard and excreted. When eating a crab, the eider will remove all of its claws and legs, and then eat the body in a similar fashion.
It is abundant, with populations of about 1.5–2 million birds in both North America and Europe, and also large but unknown numbers in eastern Siberia (HBW).
A particularly famous colony of eiders lives on theFarne Islands inNorthumberland,England. These birds were the subject of one of the first ever bird protection laws, established bySaint Cuthbert in the year 676.[10] About 1,000 pairs still nest there every year. Because St. Cuthbert is the patron saint of Northumberland, it was natural that the eider should be chosen as the county's emblem bird; the birds are still often calledCuddy's ducks in the area, "Cuddy" being the familiar form of "Cuthbert".
In Canada's Hudson Bay, important eider die-offs were observed in the 1990s by local populations due to quickly changing ice flow patterns. The Canadian Wildlife Service has spent several years gathering up-to-date information on their populations, and preliminary results seem to show a population recovery.[11][12][13] The common eider is the object of the 2011 documentaryPeople of a Feather,[citation needed] which studies the historical relationship between theSanikiluaq community and eiders, as well as various aspects of their ecology.[14]
The common eider is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
Eiders are colonial breeders. They nest on coastal islands in colonies ranging in size of less than 100 to upwards of 15,000 individuals.[15] Female eiders frequently exhibit a high degree of natalphilopatry, where they return to breed on the same island where they were hatched. This can lead to a high degree of relatedness between individuals nesting on the same island, as well as the development ofkin-based female social structures.[16] This relatedness has likely played a role in the evolution of co-operative breeding behaviours amongst eiders. Examples of these behaviours include laying eggs in the nests of related individuals[17] andcrèching, where female eiders team up and share the work of rearing ducklings.[18]
^Henri, D.; Gilchrist, H.G.; Peacock, E. (2010). "Understanding and Managing Wildlife in Hudson Bay Under a Changing Climate: Some Recent Contributions from Inuit and Cree Ecological Knowledge".A Little Less Arctic. Earth and Environmental Sciences. pp. 267–289.doi:10.1007/978-90-481-9121-5_13.ISBN978-90-481-9120-8.
^Chaulk, K.G.; Robertson, G.J.; Montevecchi, W.A. (November 10, 2006). "Extinction, colonization, and distribution patterns of common eider populations nesting in a naturally fragmented landscape".Canadian Journal of Zoology.84 (10):1402–1408.doi:10.1139/z06-138.
^Chapdelaine, G.; Dupuis, P.; Reed, A. (1986). "Distribution, abondance et fluctuation des populations d'eider à duvet dans l'estuaire et le golfe du Saint-Laurent" [Distribution, abundance and population fluctuations of the common eider in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence]. In Reed, A. (ed.).Eider ducks in Canada. Canadian Wildlife Service Report Series (in French). Ottawa, ON: Canadian Wildlife Service. pp. 6–11.
^McKinnon, L.; Gilchrist, H.G.; Scribner, K.T. (2006). "Genetic evidence for kin-based female social structure in common eiders (Somateria mollissima)".Behavioral Ecology.17 (4):614–621.doi:10.1093/beheco/ark002.
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