[Length 24 in. Wingspan 38 in.]

These female "Eastern" Common Eiders were photographed at the famous 8th Street jetty in Barnegat, New Jersey, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Ektachrome 200 film pushed to 800. (Date: February 1982)

[Length 24 in. Wingspan 38 in.]

This drake Common Eider was photographed at Sands of Forvie RSPB Reserve (Ythan Estuary), Newburgh, Scotland, Great Britain. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF-S f4 lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D100 camera. (Date: May 28, 2004)

[Length 24 in. Wingspan 38 in.]

This drake Common Eider was photographed at St. James Park, London, England, Great Britain. It is part of the captive waterfowl collection there. Photo taken with a Nikkor EDAF 300 f4.0 lens on Kodak Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: April 2002)

[Length 24 in. Wingspan 38 in.]

This drake Common Eider was photographed at St. James Park, London, England, Great Britain. It is part of the captive waterfowl collection there. Photo taken with a Nikkor EDAF 180 f2.8 lens on Kodak Elitechrome 200 film. (Date: April 2002)

[Length 24 in. Wingspan 38 in.]

This female Common Eider was photographed at St. James Park, London, England, Great Britain. It is part of the captive waterfowl collection there. Photo taken with a Nikkor EDAF 300 f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: April 2002)

[Length 24 in. Wingspan 38 in.]

This female Common Eider was photographed at St. James Park, London, England, Great Britain. It is part of the captive waterfowl collection there. Photo taken with a Nikkor EDAF 180 f2.8 lens on Kodak Elitechrome 200 film. (Date: April 2002)

[Length 24 in. Wingspan 38 in.]

This female Common Eider was photographed at Sands of Forvie RSPB Reserve (Ythan Estuary), Newburgh, Scotland, Great Britain. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF-S f4 lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D100 camera. (Date: May 28, 2004)

[Length 24 in. Wingspan 38 in.]

Common Eiders occur in the far north of North America, Europe, and Siberia. While the males of all four species of Eider Ducks have some kind of black-and-white pattern on the body, only the male Common Eider has a black-and-white head pattern. Females are a drab brown so they "blend in" on the nest while they incubate their eggs. In North America Common Eiders breed in the high Arctic coastal regions of Canada and Alaska. They winter along the western coasts of Alaska and Canada and the eastern coasts of Canada and the US south to New York. This flock of "Western" Common Eiders was photographed in flight on Attu Island, Alaska, USA. Photo taken with a 300mm f4.5 Nikkor ED lens on Ektachrome 400 film pushed to 800. (Date: May 1988)