A concaved bill and rounder head help to distinguish this species from Common Eider. Male: The head is blue-gray with greenish cheeks and a large orange protuberance, outlined in black, at the base of the reddish-orange bill. The neck and breast are white, but the breast may show a pinkish cast. The back, sides, belly and tail are black, with a white patch on the rear flanks. A white line runs horizontally along the folded wings. In flight, wings are dark with white linings and a white patch on the upper wing. Males in alternate plumage are dark brown, with a paler breast, pale eye ring, and a smaller swelling at the base of the orange bill. The white line remains visible along the folded wing. Female: Medium brown with pronounced scalloping on sides and back, and a scaly pattern on the breast. There is an indistinct pale crescent over the eye, and a ridge of feathering that may produce a line extending back from the eye. In flight, white axillaries are similar to those on female Common Eider.

Length: 46 (cm) Wingspan: 89 (cm)

Voice:

Females produce a rapid guttural croaking. Males gives a series of calls similar to a dove roo roo ROOOOooo.

Habitat:

Breeds on arctic tundra. Winters along coasts and on open ocean.

Behavior:

They line their nests with their own down feathers.

Feeding:

Eats a broad range of aquatic and terrestrial plants, mollusks, crustaceans, and aquatic insects.