# Common eider (*Somateria mollissima*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-eider  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The common eider (Somateria mollissima) is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup, belonging to the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes. It is a medium-sized bird with an adult body mass of 2.061 kg, ranging from 1.915 to 2.218 kg, and a wingspan of 98 cm. The common eider is an aquatic predator and carnivore of marine habitats, and it is partially migratory.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 1.92 kg – 2.22 kg |
| Length | 50 cm – 71 cm |
| Wingspan | 98 cm |
| Lifespan | 23 years – 37.8 years |
| Diet | Aquatic predator |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | marine |
| Egg incubation | 26 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 4.15 |
| Age at maturity | 2 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Lifestyle | Aquatic |
| Migration | Partial |
| Conservation status | Near Threatened (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Anseriformes
- family: Anatidae
- genus: Somateria
- species: *Somateria mollissima* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Anas cutberti*, *Anas mollissima*, *Anser lanuginosus*, *Somateria leisleri*, *Somateria megauros*, *Somateria norwegica*, *Somateria planifrons*, *Somateria platyuros*, *Somateria stcuthberti*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the common eider?

The common eider is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup. It belongs to the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes.

### How heavy is the common eider?

The common eider has an adult body mass of 2.061 kg, with reported values from 1.915 to 2.218 kg.

### What does the common eider eat?

The common eider is an aquatic predator and is classed as a carnivore.

### Is the common eider endangered?

No. The common eider is listed as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List, which is not an IUCN threatened category.

### How long does the common eider live?

The common eider has a lifespan of 23 years, with values up to 37.8 years reported by sources.

### Does the common eider migrate?

Yes, the common eider is partially migratory.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Common eider (Somateria mollissima). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-eider