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MarineCavity nestMedium · 259 g
ID tip
The crested auklet can measure 18–27 cm (7.1–10.6 in) in length, 34–50 cm (13–20 in) in wingspan and weigh 195–330 g (6.9–11.6 oz). They have a reddish-orange and yellow tipped bill, yellowish white irises, and white auricular plumes from their eyes to their ears. Their bodies, wings, and tails are primarily dark sooty grey, while their legs and feet are grey and claws black. The males and females are very similar, although the females have slightly smaller and less curved bills, additionally slightly smaller crests.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
When to see the Crested Auklet
One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 5 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is June, the month with the most records.
Where to see the Crested Auklet
The map shades 3 countries with regular records, and 1 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.
Recorded as a rare visitor in Canada.
About the Crested Auklet
The crested auklet is a small seabird of the family Alcidae, distributed throughout the northern Pacific and the Bering Sea. The species feeds by diving in deep waters, eating krill and a variety of small marine animals. It nests in dense colonies of up to 1 million individuals in the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk. It often breeds in mixed-species colonies with the least auklet, a smaller congener.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Easily confused with
Least AukletAethia pusillaThe least auklet is a seabird and the smallest species of auk.
Parakeet AukletAethia psittaculaThe parakeet auklet is a small (23 cm) auk with a short orange bill that is upturned to give the bird its curious fixed expression.
Whiskered AukletAethia pygmaeaAn odd characteristic of this bird, which is also shared with the crested auklet, is that its plumage smells of citrus.
Side by side: Crested Auklet vs Parakeet Auklet
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