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Cassin's Auklet

Ptychoramphus aleuticusOrder: CHARADRIIFORMESFamily: Auks, Murres and Puffins (Alcidae)

Cassin's Auklet Portrait
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General

Cassin's Auklet: Small seabird with slate-gray upperparts, pale gray underparts, and white belly. Eyes are pale yellow. Bill is short with white at base of lower mandible. Tail is short. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has dark brown eyes.

Range and Habitat

Cassin's Auklet: Breeds from the Aleutians to central Baja California and winters in waters off the southern part of breeding range. Preferred habitats include open ocean; nests on sea cliffs and isolated headlands.

Voice Text

"kreek"

Interesting Facts

  • The Cassin's Auklet is named for John Cassin, a Pennsylvania businessman and naturalist.
  • Unlike many other auks it lacks dramatic breeding plumage, remaining the same over most of the year. At sea it is usually identified by its flight, which is described as looking like a flying tennis ball.
  • It is unusual amongst seabirds in occasionally laying a second clutch after a successful first clutch (it is the only northern hemisphere seabird to do so).
  • A group of auks has many collective nouns, including a "colony", "loomery", and "raft" of auks.


Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Range Map for Cassin's Auklet
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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.
Family
Species Ptychoramphus aleuticus
Length9 Inches
Wingspan13.5 Inches

Cassin's Auklet

Cassin's Auklet: Small seabird with slate-gray upperparts, pale gray underparts, white belly. Pale yellow eyes with a white crescent patch above them. Short black bill has white spot at base of lower mandible that is visible at close range. Short tail and rounded wings. Rapid direct flight.

● Song: "kreek"

● Foraging & Feeding: Cassin's Auklet: Feeds on small crustaceans and fish. Forages by chasing prey underwater, propelled by its wings. They can dive more than 120 feet below the surface.

● Breeding & nesting: Cassin's Auklet: One white egg, blue or green tinted, is laid in a burrow or cavity among rocks. Incubation ranges from 37 to 42 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Cassin's Auklet: Tufted Puffins and Rhinoceros Auklets are larger with heavier bills.

Flight Pattern

Rapid direct flight.
Cassin's Auklet Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Cassin's Auklet: Breeds from the Aleutians to central Baja California and winters in waters off the southern part of breeding range. Preferred habitats include open ocean; nests on sea cliffs and isolated headlands.
BreedingMonogamous, Colonial
PopulationCommon to abundant
MigrationNorthern birds migrate
Weight6.6 Ounces