Bird Album
Black Guillemot
Cepphus grylle (Linnaeus, 1758)
378 gWeight
The black guillemot or tystie (Cepphus grylle), is a medium-sized seabird of the Alcidae family.
Busiest months: May · Most records: Canada, United States, Iceland
Where and when it's recorded
Black Guillemot has been recorded at 244 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 23 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Quai, Pointe-au-PèreCanada5,474 records
- Monhegan IslandUnited States5,107 records
- Húsavík – hafnarsvæðiIceland5,031 records
More places
- Pointe-au-PèreCanada2,021 records
- Les EscouminsCanada1,664 records
- Centre d’int. et d’obs. de Cap-de-Bon-DésirCanada1,635 records
- GambellUnited States1,561 records
- Point Pleasant ParkCanada1,442 records
- RN de l’Île-aux-Basques-et-des-Razades – Île aux BasquesCanada1,349 records
- Rivière-OuelleCanada1,099 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The black guillemot or tystie (Cepphus grylle), is a medium-sized seabird of the Alcidae family. It is found across northern Europe, the North Atlantic and parts of the Arctic, including the coasts of Canada, Greenland, Iceland, the British Isles, Scandinavia and Russia. It inhabits marine environments, including coastal and intertidal waters as well as offshore ocean habitats.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Black Guillemot?
The Black Guillemot weighs around 378 g.
Where does the Black Guillemot live?
Its breeding range: North America, Palearctic: coasts of high Arctic to northern temperate North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean. It is most often recorded in Canada, United States and Iceland.
When is the best time to see the Black Guillemot?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Black Guillemot endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Black Guillemot as Least Concern.
What does the Black Guillemot eat?
Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.
What family is the Black Guillemot in?
It belongs to the family Auks (Alcidae), order Charadriiformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 378 g
- Habitat
- Ocean
- Diet
- Fish, shrimp & shellfish
- Lifestyle
- On the water surface
- Migration
- Migratory
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 154 mm
- Tail
- 51 mm
- Bill
- 38 mm
- Tarsus
- 30 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
North America, Palearctic: coasts of high Arctic to northern temperate North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Auks Alcidae
- Genus
- Cepphus
Other birds in the genus Cepphus
Spectacled GuillemotCepphus carbo
Pigeon GuillemotCepphus columba
Rhinoceros AukletCerorhinca monocerata
Tufted PuffinFratercula cirrhata
Atlantic PuffinFratercula arctica
Horned PuffinFratercula corniculata
Cassin's AukletPtychoramphus aleuticus
Least AukletAethia pusilla
Whiskered AukletAethia pygmaea
Crested AukletAethia cristatella
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Christoph Moning. ↗
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