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EIDER
(EYE-duhr)
Any
of several large northern sea ducks having fine soft down
Common
clues: Duck down; Duck with soft down, Type of duck; Pillow
stuffing; Sea duck; Where to get down; It might get you down;
Black and white duck
Crossword
puzzle frequency:
3 times a year
Frequency
in English language:
37776 / 86800
Video: Eider
duck eats green crab
The
Common Eider is a large sea-duck, which 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.
The
eider's nest is built close to the sea and is lined with the
celebrated 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.
Nonetheless, 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 is characterized by its bulky shape and large
wedge-shaped bill. The male is unmistakable with its black and
white plumage and green nape. The female is a brown bird, but can
still be readily distinguished from all ducks, except other
eider-species, on the basis of size and head shape. This duck's
call is a pleasant "ah-ooo", described as being "like
a bunch of gossipy old women, expressing surprise". The
species is often readily approachable.
This
article is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia
article "Common Eider"
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