Crested Auklet

Aethia cristatella (Pallas, 1769)

259 gWeight

The crested auklet (Aethia cristatella) is a small seabird of the family Alcidae, distributed throughout the northern Pacific and the Bering Sea.

Busiest months: June · Most records: United States, Japan, Russia

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Crested Auklet has been recorded at 12 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

GambellUnited States4,906 records
St. Paul IslandUnited States3,860 records
Nemuro – Cape NosappuJapan39 records

More places

MeynypilgynoRussia15 records
Hamanaka – Cape KiritappuJapan15 records
Rocky Point Bird ObservatoryCanada11 records
Rausu – Rausu Fishing PortJapan5 records
Metchosin – Pedder BayCanada3 records
Discovery ParkUnited States3 records
Pt. Reyes Bird Observatory – PalomarinUnited States2 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United States Japan Russia Canada

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 crested auklet (Aethia cristatella) is a small seabird of the family Alcidae, distributed throughout the northern Pacific and the Bering Sea. The species feeds by diving in deep waters, eating krill and a variety of small marine animals. It nests in dense colonies of up to 1 million individuals in the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Crested Auklet?

The Crested Auklet weighs around 259 g.

Where does the Crested Auklet live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic, North America: northwestern to northeastern North Pacific coasts: patchily from eastern Chukotka, northeastern Kamchatka, Sea of Okhotsk, Sakhalin, Kuril and Commander islands (eastern Russia); Bering Sea islands and Aleutian Islands. It is most often recorded in United States, Japan and Russia.

When is the best time to see the Crested Auklet?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in June (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Crested Auklet endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Crested Auklet as Least Concern.

What does the Crested Auklet eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Crested Auklet in?

It belongs to the family Auks (Alcidae), order Charadriiformes.

At a glance

Weight: 259 g
Habitat: Ocean
Diet: Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle: On the water surface
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 139 mm
Tail: 38 mm
Bill: 21 mm
Tarsus: 27 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic, North America: northwestern to northeastern North Pacific coasts: patchily from eastern Chukotka, northeastern Kamchatka, Sea of Okhotsk, Sakhalin, Kuril and Commander islands (eastern Russia); Bering Sea islands and Aleutian Islands

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2