Common Eider Ducks (14089851116)

Description:

Summary[edit] Description: This and the following photo were taken in Harpswell, Maine on Bailey Island. They make a sort of soft, cooing noise and not the usual quack that a mallard makes. The Common Eider (pronounced /ˈaɪ.dər/) (Somateria mollissima) is a large (50–71 cm body length) sea-duck that is distributed over the northern coasts of Europe, North America and eastern Siberia. It breeds in Arctic and some northern temperate regions, but winters somewhat farther south in temperate zones, when it can form large flocks on coastal waters. It can fly at speeds up to 113 km/h (70 mph). The eider's nest is built close to the sea and is lined with the celebrated eiderdown, 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, eiderdown harvesting continues and is sustainable, as it can be done after the ducklings leave the nest with no harm to the birds. This species dives for crustaceans and molluscs, with mussels being a favoured food. The eider will eat mussels by swallowing them whole; the shells are then crushed in their gizzard 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. (Wikipedia). Date: 3 May 2014, 10:03. Source: Common Eider Ducks. Author: Paul VanDerWerf from Brunswick, Maine, USA.