Eider

Description

The eider is a 58 cm large sea duck, weighing 1,2-2,8 kilos. It breeds along the coasts of Europe, Asia and North America, and in Denmark the species breeds mainly in inner Danish waters, usually in colonies on islets.

In fact the Danish waters have a huge international significance for all of the Northwest European population of eiders, as 30% of the population spends the winter in Danish waters. The eider is thus a common breeding migrant of Denmark.

The male eider is a beautiful sight with the characteristic triangular head and white, black and green colours of the head. The female eider has a brown plumage, thereby difficult to see nearby the nest.

The eider lives on common mussels, snails, fish and starfish, which are found by the eider itself in the sea. It can dive into 20 meters of deep water to find food, and therefore the eider is said to be a an excellent diver. It is a very hungry bird too – it eats as much as its own weight during just 24 hours!

The female eider lays 4-6 eggs, hatched out in 25-28 days. As soon as the young ones are out, the birds seek to the sea, where the female eiders collectively take care of up to 100 ducklings in a sort of kindergarten.