Pigeon Guillemot

Cepphus columba Pallas, 1811

30–37 cmLength530 gWeight

The pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba) is a species of bird in the auk family, Alcidae.

Busiest months: May and August · Most records: United States, Canada, Japan

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Pigeon Guillemot has been recorded at 66 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Southeast Farallon IslandUnited States9,365 records
Edmonds WaterfrontUnited States6,173 records
Gardiner BeachUnited States5,856 records

More places

Point No PointUnited States4,740 records
GambellUnited States4,431 records
Pillar Point HarborUnited States3,629 records
Clover PointCanada2,921 records
Discovery ParkUnited States2,816 records
Rocky Point Bird ObservatoryCanada2,771 records
Oak Bay – Cattle PointCanada2,297 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United States Canada Japan Russia

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 pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba) is a species of bird in the auk family, Alcidae. One of three species in the genus Cepphus, it is most closely related to the spectacled guillemot. There are five subspecies of the pigeon guillemot; all subspecies, when in breeding plumage, are dark brown with a black iridescent sheen and a distinctive wing patch broken by a brown-black wedge.

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

Questions

How big is the Pigeon Guillemot?

The Pigeon Guillemot is about 30–37 cm long and weighs around 530 g.

Where does the Pigeon Guillemot live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic, North America: Arctic to temperate northwest to east-central North Pacific coasts: southern Chukotka to Kamchatka, Kuril and Commander islands (eastern Russia); Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, Gulf of Alaska to central California. It is most often recorded in United States, Canada and Japan.

When is the best time to see the Pigeon Guillemot?

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

Is the Pigeon Guillemot endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Pigeon Guillemot as Least Concern.

What does the Pigeon Guillemot eat?

Main food: Fish, shrimp & shellfish.

What family is the Pigeon Guillemot in?

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

At a glance

Length: 30–37 cm
Weight: 530 g
Habitat: Ocean
Diet: Fish, shrimp & shellfish
Lifestyle: On the water surface
Migration: Migratory
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 173 mm
Tail: 46 mm
Bill: 36 mm
Tarsus: 32 mm

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

Range

Palearctic, North America: Arctic to temperate northwest to east-central North Pacific coasts: southern Chukotka to Kamchatka, Kuril and Commander islands (eastern Russia); Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, Gulf of Alaska to central California

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2