eider duck

noun

1. any of several large sea ducks of the genus Soamateria and allied genera of the Northern Hemisphere, the females of which yield eiderdown.

Word History and Origins

Origin of eider duck¹

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

Nearby farmers tend herds of sheep, gather down from eider ducks and hang filleted fish to dry in the sun.

From Washington Post

Woven through are moving stories of the remote microeconomies engaged in these trades, such as Iceland’s eiderdown gatherers who, year on year, give safe haven to thousands of wild eider ducks in nesting season.

From Nature

The island is an important nesting site for puffins and eider ducks, and is also home to Iceland's only windmill - a protected monument that dates back to the 1860s, that was in operation until 1917.

From BBC

Shetterly also takes a seaweed cooking class, visits a factory for “Kelp Krunch bars” and travels with a biologist who studies how baby eider ducks depend on seaweed to survive.

From Scientific American

Her main focus is on the brown seaweeds, including Ascophyllum nodosum, which grows along rocky shores and provides habitats for many creatures, including vulnerable young fish and eider ducks.

From Washington Post