Common Eider pair
Common Eider has a Conservation Status under the IUCN of Near Threatened www.iucnredlist.org/species/22680405/132525971
This Common Eider pair, with the black-and-white male on the right, were seen off Stoney Island Beach on Cape Sable Island in the eastern Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The species is well known as the source of eiderdown, renowned for its insulating properties — the females pluck some of their own feathers to line the nest. Although other alternatives exist in modern times, the long-standing and sustainable custom of collecting the down after the young have fledged is still practised in some places.
Common Eider pair
Common Eider has a Conservation Status under the IUCN of Near Threatened www.iucnredlist.org/species/22680405/132525971
This Common Eider pair, with the black-and-white male on the right, were seen off Stoney Island Beach on Cape Sable Island in the eastern Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The species is well known as the source of eiderdown, renowned for its insulating properties — the females pluck some of their own feathers to line the nest. Although other alternatives exist in modern times, the long-standing and sustainable custom of collecting the down after the young have fledged is still practised in some places.