Eider ducks can easily be identified, even from a distance, due to their unique triangular shaped head and the drake's stylish plumage. This is a stocky duck and claims the crown for being the UK's heaviest, but it's no slouch as it is also the fastest flying.

Nesting eider ducks line their nests with feathers plucked from their own breasts. Icelandic farmers have harvested this wonderfully sustainable crop for many years, providing world famous eider down that is used in bedding products. This was such a lucrative business (before the days of man-made fibres), that eiders would be actively encouraged to nest on farms and a high number of successfully nesting birds on an individual's land was considered to be a mark of honour.