Somateria mollissima

What a smashing looking duck, so dashing and elegant. This is a male Common Eider, a sea-duck that breeds in the Arctic, but winters in warmer areas south which is where I saw it in Dorset, southern England.
70 cm length

comments (2)

Christine Young

Lion

Definitely handsome! I just read that they are is the UK's heaviest and fastest flying duck! I wonder if he's banded for tracking avian cholera, hmm? It can kill >30-40% of a colony during an outbreak, I think.
Posted 6 years ago
1. Ruth Spigelman
  
  Lion
  
  Thank you Christine, I didn't know that and it sounds very serious indeed...but had noticed the banding. Posted 6 years ago

The Common Eider

The Common Eider is a large 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.

Info 15 0

Similar species: Ducks, Geese, Etc.

Species identified by Ruth Spigelman