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Crested Auklet Facts And Information With Picture
This bird named Crested Auklet is a small sea bird of the Alcidae family which is found throughout the North Pacific and Bering Sea. This species of birds fills its stomach by diving very deep into the sea water and eating krill and many types of small sea creatures.
This bird nests in groups of up to 1 million birds in the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk. These birds can be seen rubbing citrus-like scent released in wick-like feathers on each other's backs during courtship during their breeding.
The behavior of these birds is widely recognized in some mammals such as peccaries. But has never been seen in birds and apart from this, research also suggests that the activity can help protect birds from parasites such as ticks.
This beautiful bird has two distinctive features through which these birds are identified. The first is the auklet crest present on top of their head and the second is the fragrance emanating from the small wick feathers. There are more interesting facts about these birds which you will read in this article.
Where Are Crested Auklet Found
Crested Auklet birds are found in the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. These birds flock along the coast of the Bering Sea islands. When it is not breeding time for these birds, these birds live in the Aleutian Islands, Kuril Islands and the Russian island of Sakhalin in the winter months.
This bird is one of the similar species of birds of North America which belongs to the Alcidae family. The nesting colonies of these birds can be found in coastal areas and when it is not breeding time, these birds can be seen living in the open sea.
Crested Auklet, mostly identified as sea sparrow and flocks of six species of small seabirds in the Alcidae family are seen in North America. These birds prefer to breed in the Bering Sea and the North Pacific region but during the winter some flocks of these birds spend the breeding time till Japan and Mexico.
These birds have variations in the plumage during breeding time in which they have feathers and head decorations, brightly colored beak plates. These birds build a nest in cracks near the sea and lay a single egg. The babies of these birds stay in the nest until they are fully grown.
Scientific Name Of Crested Auklet
The scientific name of Crested Auklet Bird is Aethia cristatella. It is a bird species that belongs to the Alcidae family. According to the National Audubon Society, the most distinctive feature of these birds is the crest on their head which is made up of between 2-23 black curved feathers.
The Crested Auklet nests in huge flocks with birds of similar species and the nests are in rock crevices on the talus slopes facing the sea. These birds mainly dive into deep water but are always found in large flocks and sometimes near areas close to the shore.
Little information is available about their diet during the winter season but it is suggested that these birds eat a variety of marine invertebrates. The diet of these birds mainly consists of krill.
But these birds are also known to eat copepods, pteropods, amphipods and larval fish. These birds dive from the surface of the water to catch their prey and this behavior has been described as underwater flight. Read- Top 22 Interesting Facts And Life Cycle Of Butterfly
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Habitat Of Crested Auklet
The Crested Auklet is one of the most planktivorous seabirds in the North Pacific and breeds in habitats with other auklet species. The birds build their nests in rock crevices on talus slopes, boulder fields or lava flows.
The birds build their mating territories along deep rock crevices facing the sea and are deep-water foragers that mostly find food far from their nests.
The birds congregate in the ice-free waters of the Gulf of Alaska and northern Japan during the winter season. Little information is available about the spring and winter distribution of this bird species.
How Do Crested Auklet Look Like
Crested Auklet is a small bird. In which the male and female birds are similar in appearance. These birds are distinguished from other auklet species by the fact that their entire body is black. These birds have large white irises as well as a white feather stripe is present on both sides of their head.
The beak of these birds has a reddish-orange color with golden tips. The shape of the beak of this bird species differs between the male and female birds in which the beak of the female bird is less curved and is somewhat smaller in size than the beak of the male bird.
During the breeding time of these birds, the beak of the adult male bird has a notable curvature which is believed to aid them in agonistic interactions. The only difference between both the male bird and the female bird is that the male has longer feathers on the back of the head and neck.
During the courtship of these birds, they rub the wick-like feathers on their backs on each other. These birds have a reddish-orange and yellow beak and white auricular plumes from their eyes to their ears. The body, wings, and tail of these birds are mainly dark brown while their legs are brown and claws are black.
Crested Auklet Length And Weight
A crested auklet is about 7.1–10.6 inches in length and has a wingspan of 13–20 inches. It is a small seabird of the Alcidae family weighing about 195–330 grams.
What Do Crested Auklets Eat
The diet of Crested Auklets includes calanoid copepods, Thysanoea euphausiids, hyperiids, mysids, fish, gammarids, squid crustaceans and other marine invertebrates that are eaten by the birds.
These birds are deep sea divers that hunt colonial euphausiids on the sea floor in groups. These birds chase their prey underwater by wing movements as if flying.
Crested Auklet Nests And Eggs
Crested Auklets live for life with only one breeding partner during their breeding season. Male birds mate by performing rituals, trumpeting sounds and rubbing the wick-like feathers on their backs against each other to attract their mate.
Mating of these birds exclusively takes place mostly in the sea. During breeding time, male birds protect the female bird by scaring away others in their territory by pecking.
When a female bird approaches a male who is chirping and performing a rough sniff display, the female begins courtship. The male is responsible for protecting the female and caring for the eggs once they are laid. Read- Baltimore Oriole Facts And Information With Picture
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How Long Do Crested Auklets Live
The longevity of crested auklets in the wild and as pets is unknown, but the species has an estimated lifespan of 7.7 years. Research data from a study in Buldir, Alaska, found that the estimated annual survival rate of adults is 86 percent. Researchers color-coded some of the birds in Buldir and then tracked their longevity.
How Fast Can A Crested Auklet Fly
The crested auklet is considered to be a fast flying bird with a recorded speed of up to 144 kilometers per hour during the breeding season in its habitat range.
How Do Crested Auklet Communicate
These birds communicate through visual, chemical, tactile, tangerine scent, trumpeting voice and auditory signals. They are quite loud during mating time and in large groups at sea.
Six types of sound communication of these birds have been observed, some examples of which are barking, trumpeting, clucking, hooting, crying and shrill sounds. These birds emit a strong citrus fruit smell during the construction of nests in their area.
How Many Crested Auklets Are There In The World
The standard International Union for Conservation of Nature considers this bird species of least concern. The population of these birds in the world is more than 8.2 million, including an estimated 2.9 million birds in North America.
The crested auklet population is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List in terms of conservation status. The population is not listed as endangered under the United States Endangered Species Act.
But it is protected under the Migratory Bird Species Treaty Act. So no conservation efforts are currently needed.
Crested Auklet Behavior
These birds are aggressive towards other Aethia species and the Crested Auklet is more commonly known as a sea sparrow. Six species of small seabirds in the Alcidae family are found in North America.
These birds breed in the Bering Sea and the North Pacific but some flocks spend the winter as far as Japan and Mexico. These birds cannot be kept as pets as they are marine and wild birds.
Crested Auklet Facts For Kids
What is the Crested Auklet Habitat?
The Crested Auklet is a bird found in the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. The Crested Auklet bird lives along the coast of the Bering Sea islands.
What are the facts about Crested Auklets?
The Crested Auklet is about 7.1–10.6 inches in length and has a wingspan of 13–20 inches. These birds are deep-sea divers that hunt colonial euphorbia on the sea floor in groups.
What type of animal is an auklet?
The Crested Auklet is mostly known as a sea sparrow. Flocks of six species of small seabirds in the Alcidae family are seen in North America. These birds breed in the Bering Sea and the North Pacific.
What do Crested Auklets smell like?
It nests in groups of up to 1 million birds in the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk. These birds rub citrus scents released from their feathers like wicks on each other's backs during courtship during their breeding season.
Are auklets carnivorous?
The Crested Auklet bird feeds on calanoid copepods, Thysanoea euphausiids, hyperiids, mysids, fish, gammarids, squid crustaceans and other marine invertebrates that are eaten by birds. These birds are deep-sea divers that hunt colonial euphausiids on the sea floor in groups.
How big are crested auklets?
A crested auklet is about 7.1–10.6 in long and is a small seabird of the Alcidae family weighing 195–330 grams.
What does an auklet look like?
The crested auklet is a small bird. The male and female have similar appearance. These birds are distinguished from other auklet species by the fact that their entire body is black. These birds have large white irises as well as a white feather stripe on either side of their head.
How long do crested auklets live?
The longevity of the Crested Auklet in the wild and domesticated is unknown. The estimated lifespan of this species is 7.7 years. According to research data in Buldir Alaska, the estimated annual survival rate of adult birds is 86 percent.
What is the characteristic of the Crested Auklet?
This bird has two distinctive characteristics through which these birds are identified. The first is the auklet crest present on the top of the head and the second is the scent emanating from the small wick feathers.
What is the flight speed of the Crested Auklet?
The Crested Auklet is a fast flying bird with a recorded speed of up to 144 kilometers per hour during the breeding season in its habitat range.