Eider Welfare and Coastal Ecosystem Health

The eider is the largest and heaviest diving duck in the UK, famous for its extraordinarily warm down used in traditional duvets, and its welfare is tied to the health of coastal marine ecosystems where it dives for mussels and crabs.

Key Facts

Eiders line their nests with down plucked from their own breast, providing exceptional insulation for eggs
UK breeding numbers are around 31,000 pairs, concentrated on northern Scottish coasts and islands
Males perform elaborate communal display with distinctive moaning calls during winter courtship
Eiders are highly susceptible to oil spills because they spend all their time on intertidal and shallow coastal waters
The Farne Islands hold one of the most accessible eider colonies in Britain, famous since St Cuthbert protected them in the 7th century

Welfare Considerations

Eider welfare is threatened primarily by oil pollution on inshore coastal waters. Being entirely coastal, eiders are highly exposed to intertidal and subtidal contamination. Avian influenza has caused significant mortality in eider colonies in recent years. Commercial mussel farming can reduce natural food availability in some areas. Climate change is warming coastal waters in ways that may affect the invertebrate communities on which eiders depend.

What You Can Do

Support marine oil spill prevention and rapid response capability along UK coasts
Advocate for highly protected marine areas around key eider breeding and moulting sites
Contribute eider breeding colony counts to national waterbird surveys
Back disease surveillance programs monitoring avian influenza in coastal duck populations
Maintain respectful distances from nesting eiders during the May to July breeding season