Crested Auklet

Aethia cristatella

Today, where I live, it is finally cold. I got out the winter coat for the very first time, which is a little shocking for a Wisconsin winter. Seriously, it was 50 degrees three days last week. Anyway, I'm in a frosty mood, with it being 3 degrees outside, so lets learn about an Arctic critter today!

The Crested Auklet is a small Arctic Seabird that nests in the Bering Sea and in the Sea of Okhotsk. They live in huge colonies on rocky coasts and islands, and they don't even build nests! The females just lay their single egg right there on the boulders!

Male and Female Crested Auklets looks the same, and are named for the fancy crest of feathers that forms during the breeding season. They feed primarily on Plankton, but will also feed on small fish on occasion. Crested Auklets are birds that are built for swimming, and their body position makes them pretty awkward on land. And don't confuse them with Antarctic Penguins! Crested Auklets can definitely fly!

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Alaska and Russia
Size : Length up to 11in (27cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Charadriiformes
Family : Alcidae -- Genus : Aethia -- Species : A. cristatella