512 



BAY, SEA OR DIVING DUCKS 



Pacific Eider 



Somateria v-nigra 



(Somateria mollissima v-nigra, of Peters) 

 (so-ma-te-ri-a, ni-gra; mo-lis-i-ma) 



Colour Plate No. 24. Downy Young No. 34. 



SCIENTIFIC NAME 



Somateria, from Greek, somatos, meaning the body, and erion, meaning wool, 

 down (referring to the down of the body); nigra, Latin, meaning black, referring 

 to the black V-shaped chevron on the throat; mollissima, Latin, meaning very soft, 

 referring to the down. 



COLLOQUIAL NAMES 



IN LOCAL USE: Canvasback; eider; eiderduck; large pistrik (pistrik is the Russian 

 name for eider); sea duck. 



DESCRIPTION 



MALE. WINTER PLUMAGE: The largest of all North American ducks. Similar 



to American and Northern Eiders except for 

 sharp, black V, point foremost, on white of 

 throat (hence name v-nigra); eye, brown; bill, 

 bright orange to orange red, with paler nail; 

 feet, paler and more yellowish than in American 

 and Northern Eiders. 



Bill of both sexes: Membranous processes 

 at base of bill, narrower and more sharp-pointed 

 than in Northern Eider, much more so than in 

 American Eider; they also extend more along 

 top of forehead and less at sides. Feathered por- 

 tions on sides of upper mandible tend to be 

 rounded instead of pointed terminally, as in 

 other species (fig. 51). 



ECLIPSE AND AUTUMN PLUMAGE: See Amer- 

 ican Eider. 



FEMALE. A very large duck. Similar in gen- 

 eral coloration to female American and Northern 

 Eiders and female King Eider but somewhat 

 paler; eye, brown; bill, greenish yellow, with 

 paler nail; feet, greyish yellow; webs dusky. 

 From the two first it can be separated by bill- 

 processes described above; from the last, by feather- 

 ing on bill which extends much further towards 

 nostril. 



Head from below, showing 

 black, V-shaped chevron. 



JUVENILE. See American Eider. 



SPECIMEN IDENTIFICATION 



See American Eider. 



FIELD MARKS 



(To be looked for on the north Pacific and western Arctic coasts.) The field 

 marks are the same as those of the American Eider. 



