Eider
Somateria mollissima
Éadar lacha

Ireland’s largest diving duck, the Eider is exclusively coastal, favouring rocky areas where it can dive for its favourite foods. The male is unmistakable – a predominantly white sea-duck with a black patch on the sides and other less noticeable black and coloured marks. The female is heavily barred and brownish. Both sexes have a most striking wedge-shaped bill and head. Eiders make strange human-sounding notes when they are displaying.

Information extracted from the Appletree Press title
Appletree Deluxe Editions: Ireland's Flora & Fauna - Birds
by Gordon D'Arcy.