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Bird name:

Common Eider

Somateria mollissimaOrder: ANSERIFORMES Family: Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)

Codes: Common Name: COEI Scientific Name: SOMMOL ITIS Taxonomic No.: 175155

Breeding Location:

Rocky cliffs, Coastal, sea

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Colonial nester

Breeding Population:

Abundant to very common

Egg Color:

Light olive to brown or gray olive

Number of Eggs:

3 - 5

Incubation Days:

25 - 30

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Sticks, mosses, grasses, seaweed and down

Migration:

Some migrate

General

Common Eider: Large diving duck (v-nigrum), with distinctive sloping forehead, black body and white breast and back. Crown is black and nape is pale green. Wings are white with black primary and secondary feathers. Tail and rump are black. Bill is dull yellow to gray-green (eastern) or orange-yellow (western). Western female is barred gray-brown overall with a paler head and gray bill; eastern female appears more red-brown. Juveniles of both resemble females but are grayer overall. Eclipse males have dark heads, backs, and breasts; 1st winter males have dark heads with white backs and breasts.

Range and Habitat

Common Eider: Abundant on shallow bays, rocky shores, and casual on the Great Lakes.

Breeding and Nesting

Common Eider: Three to five light olive to brown or gray olive eggs are laid in a nest on the ground. Nest is constructed of twigs, mosses, grass and seaweed lined with with down from the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Common Eider: Eats shellfish it gathers by diving 33 to 60 feet underwater.

Vocalization

Common Eider: Makes a pigeon like "coo" or a low hoarse "kor-er-korkor-kor."

Similar Species

Common Eider: King eider is simiar but lacks the sloping profile. Spectacled Eider has large white "goggles" with black borders.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Common Eider

Common Eider: Large diving duck (v-nigrum), with distinctive sloping forehead, black body, white breast and back. Crown is black and nape is pale green. Wings are white with black primary and secondary feathers. Tail and rump are black. Bill is dull yellow to gray-green (eastern) or orange-yellow (western).

● Song: "cooo, cooo", "kor-er-kor-korkorr"

● Foraging & Feeding: Common Eider: Eats shellfish it gathers by diving 33 to 60 feet underwater.

● Breeding & nesting: Common Eider: Three to five light olive to brown or gray olive eggs are laid in a nest on the ground. Nest is constructed of twigs, mosses, grass and seaweed lined with with down from the female.

● Similar species: Common Eider: King eider is simiar but lacks the sloping profile. Spectacled Eider has large white "goggles" with black borders.

Flight Pattern

Rapid direct flight.

Common Eider (v-nigra) Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Common Eider: Abundant on shallow bays, rocky shores, and casual on the Great Lakes.

^BreedingMonogamous, Colonial nester

^PopulationAbundant to very common

^MigrationSome migrate

^Weight78.4 Ounces

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

Crown

The crown is the top part of the birds head.

Nape

Also called the hindneck or collar, it is the back of the neck where the head joins the body.

Rump

The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America

Common Eider

Breeding Location:

Breeding Type:

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Nest Material:

Migration:

Recommended Products:

General

Range and Habitat

Breeding and Nesting

Foraging and Feeding

Vocalization

Similar Species

Common Eider

Flight Pattern