Common Eider vs European Mole

Somateria mollissima compared with Talpa europaea

Key Differences

• Common Eider is Near Threatened while European Mole is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Eider	European Mole
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)
Family	Anatidae	Talpidae
Genus	Somateria	Talpa
Species	Somateria mollissima	Talpa europaea

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Eider and European Mole share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Common Eider

NT — Near Threatened

European Mole

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Eider	European Mole
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Eider

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

European Mole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden.

Common Eider

Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇸🇪 Sweden