Common Eider Identification

Male (Dresser's)

Large-bodied sea duck with a sloping profile to the forehead. Note white back, dark sides, black cap, and greenish sides of neck.

Female (Dresser's)

Large-bodied sea duck with a sloping forehead. Females are rich reddish brown overall with fine blackish barring.

Female and juvenile

Breeds on coastal islands or along ponds and lagoons near the ocean. Chicks leave the nest within 24 hours after hatching and can feed themselves, though the female often stays with the young for several weeks.

Immature male (Dresser's)

Immature males have the distinctive sloping eider forehead shape, a dark head, a white breast, and white mottling on the back.

Eclipse male (Dresser's)

When molting into breeding plumage, shows dark mottling on back and breast.

Male (Pacific)

In flight, bulky body and color pattern—dark belly with white upperparts—are distinctive.

Male (Eurasian)

Large, bulky sea duck almost always seen on saltwater. Striking white back with black sides and belly.

Male (Eurasian)

Large-bodied, bulky sea duck with a black cap and greenish sides of neck, white back, and black belly.

Male and female (Hudson Bay)

Distinctive sloping profile to the forehead and bill. Females are grayish brown overall with a pale head and fine dark barring on the body.

Female (Northern)

Females are brownish overall with fine dark barring on the back and sides.

Male and female (Northern)

Female and chick (Dresser's)

Habitat (Dresser's)

First winter males are dark brown with variable white mottling and pale or yellow tip to the bill. Females are lighter or more reddish brown with a gray bill.

Male and female (Eurasian)

Often forms large flocks with both males and females.