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Parakeet Auklet
last update: Mar 04, 2009 03:17 PM
Latin name: Aethia psittacula
Population: 800,000 individuals
Cites classified: Least Concern
Where found: Widely distributed from Southeast Alaska, across the Gulf of Alaska, in most of the Bering Sea, and in the Sea of Okhotsk in Siberia.
Age/ life expectancy: unknown
Wingspan: 46 cm
Length: 23-26 cm
Weight: 238-347 g
Mating/Breeding: It does not form large colonies but mainly nests scattered among puffins and other auklet species. Its preferred breeding sites are in crevices on steep, rocky cliffs, but it also nests in burrows on talus slopes, and among loose boulders on rocky beaches or grassy slopes. Whinnying displays are normally performed by males standing on a rock near the entrance to the nesting crevice.
Eggs: smooth white, sometimes with a slight blue or green tinge, 1 egg per clutch
Hibernation: Not well known, but winters are spent offshore further south and into the Central South Pacific Ocean
Hunting Habits: surface dives
Feed on: crustaceans, fish, jellyfish
Predators: Glaucous-winged gulls, arctic foxes, red foxes, and probably Norway rats
Colour/Body: Has a bright red, roundish bill that has a curved lower mandible. White plumes ornament the face and extend back and downwards from each of its yellow eyes. It has a distinct pot-bellied shape and shows more extensive white in its underparts.
Interesting Trivia:
- On land, Parakeet Auklets walk mostly on their legs and not their toes.
