Somateria mollissima
Silhouette: Rebecca Groom · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The common eider (pronounced ) (Somateria mollissima), also called St. Cuthbert's duck or Cuddy's duck, is a large (50–71 cm (20–28 in) in 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 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, typically being marketed as luxury goods, eiderdown harvesting continues and is sustainable, as it can be done after the ducklings leave the nest with no harm to the birds.
The common eider was formally named by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae. He placed it with all the other ducks in the genus Anas and coined the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Svalbard | 🇳🇴 Norway | |
| 2 | Vatnajokull National Park | 🇮🇸 Iceland | |
| 3 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 8 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 2 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 4 | Saint Petersburg | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 5 | Porto | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 6 | Rotterdam [The Hague] | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 7 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Stockholm | 🇸🇪 Sweden | |
| 9 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Eider sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 248th most-seen of the 279 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Eider in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Eider sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
8th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Common Eider sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Svalbard (Norway, about 90%), Vatnajokull National Park (Iceland, about 60%) and Acadia National Park (United States, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Common Eider that you can see in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Blue-winged Teal (about 50%), Northern Shoveler (about 40%) and Lesser Scaup (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Eider is recorded against all the birds logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (22 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
