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Common eider numbers are in decline throughout their range in Canada. DUC's Eider Initiative has been created to find out answers as to why this is occurring.
Common Eider
Common Eider 
Somateria mollissima
This ocean-going diving duck, one of the three eider species found in Canada, is the most numerous of all eiders. Biologists call its range holarctic because it spans the northern latitudes of the globe. Common eiders can thrive in arctic winters but only if they have open water in which to feed. About 75 percent of their diet is mollusks, the rest being a variety of crustaceans. With adult males averaging over two kilograms, this is the largest duck in the northern hemisphere. Common eider lay an average of four eggs, considerably fewer than most ducks. Weather and gulls are the biggest threats to eggs and young ducklings.
