| Eiders | |
|---|---|
| Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) in eclipse plumage |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Anseriformes |
| Family: | Anatidae |
| Subfamily: | Merginae |
| Genus: | Somateria Leach, 1819 |
| Species | |
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Eiders are large seaducks in the genus Somateria. Steller's Eider, despite its name, is in a different genus.
The three extant species all breed in the cooler latitudes of the Northern hemisphere.
The down feathers of eider ducks, and some other ducks and geese, are used to fill pillows and quilts—they have given the name to the type of quilt known as an eiderdown.
Two undescribed species are known from fossils, one from Middle Oligocene rocks in Kazakhstan and another from the Late Miocene or Early Pliocene of Lee Creek Mine, USA. The former may not actually belong into this genus.