Cassin's Auklet - BirdForum Opus

Photo by Glen Tepke
Pacific west of Carmel, California, USA, August 2003

Ptychoramphus aleuticus

Identification

25 cm

• Dark upperparts
• Pale underparts
• White mark above eye
• Dark bill with pale spot
• Blue feet

Distribution

North and Central America and Russia
North America: British Columbia, Vancouver, Alaska, Aleutian Islands, California, Oregon and Washington
Central America: Mexico, Baja California
Asia: found only in Russia

Taxonomy

Subspecies^[1]

There are 2 subspecies:

• P. a. aleuticus:

• Aleutian Islands and Alaska to northern Baja California

• P. a. australis:

• Southern Baja (San Benito to Asunción and San Roque islands)

Habitat

Sea; nests on offshore islands.

Behaviour

Breeding

It nests colonially in burrows, digging a hole in the soil. The single white egg is incubated for 40 days by both adults. The young fledges after 35 days.

Diet

The diet includes fish, plankton and krill.

References

1. Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
2. Avibase
3. Wikipedia
4. Birdweb

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Cassin's Auklet. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 11 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Cassin%27s_Auklet

External Links

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