Crested auklet
Aethia cristatella
Identification Tips:
- Sexes similar
- Immature similar to adult basic but lacks crest and bill is dark
- Small alcid that dives for food from water surface
- Thick, short, orange bill
- Yellow eye
- Entirely blackish plumage
- Pelagic bird only coming ashore to breed
- Inhabits islands and surrounding waters of Alaska
Adult alternate
- Black crest on top of bill
- White plume behind eye
- Bright orange bill
Adult basic
- Smaller crest
- Bill appears smaller and darker
Similar species:
The Crested Auklet is aptly named for its distinctive crest. Only the
Whiskered Auklet shares this feature. In alternate plumage, the Whiskered
Auklet has three white plumes on the head and a quite different bill shape.
In immature plumages where the crest is lacking, the larger size of the
Crested Auklet may be the best disinguishing mark. In immature birds, the all
dark plumage and smaller bill distinguish it from Tufted Puffins, Rhinoceros
Auklets, and Parakeet Auklets.