eider

noun

ei·der ˈī-dər

: any of several large northern sea ducks (genera Somateria and Polystica) having fine soft down that is used by the female for lining the nest

called also eider duck

: eiderdown sense 1

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There are several species of large diving ducks called eiders. They are heavy and round-bodied, with a humped bill that produces a characteristic sloping profile. Eiders live in the cold far north. They are the source of eiderdown, feathers that the hen plucks from her breast to line her nest and insulate her eggs. Eiderdown is used as a warm filling for jackets, pillows, quilts, and sleeping bags. Hens are mottled brown, but drakes (males) are boldly patterned, with green pigment on the head.

Examples of eider in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Details here and here. BEACH WALK Beach season starts now: Grab your binoculars to check out sandpipers, eiders, buffleheads at Norman Bird Sanctuary’s stroll on Third Beach. —

Lauren Daley, BostonGlobe.com, 25 May 2023 Five Iceland gulls and a king eider at Black Rock Beach in Cohasset, a canvasback and three tree swallows at Beaver Pond in Franklin and a black vulture at Blue Hills Reservation. —

Isabela Rocha, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Mar. 2023 Two king eiders were found in North Chatham. —

BostonGlobe.com, 29 Mar. 2023 My guess would be a king eider. —

Anchorage Daily News, 8 May 2021 This story is wrong, at least for eider ducks. —

Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 29 June 2011 Tiedemann worked with two such eider colonies: one that breeds in the Southern Baltic Sea, and another that nests on an airport runway in Northern Iceland. —

Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 29 June 2011 At Race Point Beach, a king eider, a great shearwater, 12 dovekies, 188 common murres, 1350 razorbills and 1400 black-legged kittiwakes. —

Isabela Rocha, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Dec. 2022 Heath: Due to concerns about eider die-offs, we were invited to come and help the community study and understand the issues. —

Ashoka, Forbes, 9 June 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'eider.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.