#ducks

2 articles

Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus): The Painted Diver of the Kelp Surf Zone

Meet the harlequin duck: slate-blue plumage, winter life in the surf zone, and summers on wild mountain rivers. Identification, ecology and where to look.

Dr. Mara Ellison · September 26, 2026

A raft of common eiders on calm grey water at the edge of a kelp-fringed northern rocky coast, a black-and-white drake beside a barred brown hen in morning mist.

Encyclopedia8 min read

Common Eider (Somateria mollissima): The Sea Duck of Northern Kelp Coasts

Meet the common eider: the northern sea duck that dives for mussels in the kelp shallows, crushes shells whole and gave its down to a centuries-old harvest.

Dr. Mara Ellison · September 24, 2026

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