Crested Auklets (Aethia cristatella) Information

Auks

The Crested Auklets (Aethia cristatella) are small seabird that nest in huge colonies (>1 million individuals) in the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk in the western Pacific Ocean.

They often breed in mixed-species colonies with Least Auklets.

Description

The Crested Auklet has a distinctive ‘crest’, a group of bristle feathers located above the eyes on the top of its head. There are white plumes from their eyes to the ears.

These birds measure about 18 – 27 cm (7.1 – 11 in) in length and weigh between 195 – 330 g (6.9 – 12 inches).

The plumage is mostly dark sooty grey.

The legs and feet are grey, and the claws black. The bill is reddish-orange and yellow tipped. The eyes (irises) are yellowish white.

Females have slightly smaller and less curved bills, and slightly smaller crests.

Diet / Feeding

Crested Auklets mostly feed on krill, but they are also known to eat copepods, pteropods (such as Limacina), amphipods and larval fishes.