Common Eider

Also known as St. Cuthbert's Duck, Cuddy's Duck

Common Eiders dive up to twenty meters into freezing coastal waters to pluck blue mussels and sea urchins, swallowing shellfish whole and crushing the shells in their muscular gizzards. Females line their ground nests with exceptionally soft down plucked from their own breasts, insulating eggs against harsh Arctic winds. Outside the breeding season, thousands gather in massive rafts offshore, flying in low lines over the ocean surface at impressive speeds.