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Whiskered Auklet
last update: Mar 24, 2009 12:54 PM
Latin name: Aethia pygmaea
Population: 100,000 individuals
Cites classified: Least Concern
Where found: Aleutian Islands and other islands off Siberia
Age/ life expectancy: 15 years
Wingspan: 46 cm
Length: 18 cm
Weight: 120-315 g
Mating/Breeding: Whiskered Auklets lay a single egg in a rocky crevice, in loose colonies with other Whiskered Auklets and also other colonial seabirds. Both parents take part in incubation and chick rearing.
Eggs: one, white egg
Hibernation: winter area is the same as breeding area
Hunting Habits: pursuit diving
Feed on: zooplankton
Predators: Arctic fox and Norway rat are predators to the chicks and eggs
Colour/Body: Whiskered Auklet is best told from other similar looking species by its elongate white and black plumes of feathers on its head. Its bill is short and orange and its eye is yellow.
Interesting Trivia:
- The whiskers have been shown to help them sense their way to and out of their nests at night.
