About the Little Auk
The little auk (Europe) or dovekie is a small auk, the only member of the genus Alle. It breeds in huge numbers on islands in the high Arctic of the North Atlantic Ocean. There are two subspecies; A. a. alle breeds in Greenland, Novaya Zemlya and Svalbard; and A. a. polaris on Franz Josef Land. A small number of individuals also breed on Little Diomede Island in the Bering Strait, with additional breeding individuals thought to occur on King Island, St. Lawrence Island, St. Matthew Island and the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea. It also formerly bred on Grímsey just north of Iceland, but is extinct there now. In winter, they disperse widely across the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans,…
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This is the only Atlantic auk of its size, half the size of the Atlantic puffin, at 19–21 cm (7.5–8.3 in) in length, with a 34–38 cm (13–15 in) wingspan. The adult weight ranges from 130–200 g (4.6–7.1 oz). A. a. polaris is marginally larger than the nominate subspecies. In breeding plumage, the head, neck, back, and wings are black, with a white trailing edge to the secondary feathers, and white fringes on the scapular feathers, and pure white underparts. The bill is short and stubby. They have a small rounded black tail. The lower face and fore neck become white in winter plumage.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What the Little Auk sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Finland, Cuba, Costa Rica.
When to see it
Peak activity in November · a winter visitor species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Tufted PuffinFratercula cirrhataTufted puffins are around 35 cm (14 in) in length with a similar wingspan and weigh about three-quarters of a kilogram (1.6 lbs), making them the largest of all the puffins.
Cassin's AukletPtychoramphus aleuticusCassin's auklet is a small, chunky seabird that ranges widely in the North Pacific.
Thick-billed MurreUria lomviaSince the extinction of the great auk in the mid-19th century, the murres are the largest living members of the Alcidae.
Learn the Little Auk for real
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