Common Eider

Inuktitut name - Mitiq (This is the same name as for ducks in general)

Colour - male with black patch on top of white head, white back, black wings and belly; female brown with distinct bars over most of body

Length - 44 to 65 cm

Shape - bill joins head smoothly, forming a triangle (longer and more triangular than King Eider); neck thick

Behaviour - most sea-going of the waterfowl (ducks and geese) in the Canadian Arctic, never leaving salt water; in flight, alternately flaps wings and then sails; diet consists mainly of large planktonic and benthic invertebrates, for which the birds dive (whereas many ducks and geese remain at the surface to feed); feeding normally occurs close to shore, especially in bays

Distribution - common in Beaufort Sea, Hudson Bay (particularly around Belcher Islands), Hudson Strait, and Ungava Bay

Sensitivity - see Sensitivity Information on the Birds - General Information page

Common Eider (44 KB)

Lancaster Sound Area Distribution Maps: Spring (Ice Scenario 1) Spring (Ice Scenario 2) Spring (Ice Scenario 3) Summer Scenario

Coronation Gulf Area Distribution Maps: See the Birds - General Information page.