Common Eider vs King/Common Eider

Somateria mollissima compared with Somateria spectabilis

Key Differences

• Common Eider is Near Threatened while King/Common Eider is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Eider	King/Common Eider
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order same	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)
Family same	Anatidae	Anatidae
Genus same	Somateria	Somateria
Species	Somateria mollissima	Somateria spectabilis

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Eider and King/Common Eider share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Somateria.

Conservation Status

Common Eider

NT — Near Threatened

King/Common Eider

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Eider	King/Common Eider
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.

King/Common Eider

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States.

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 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States