Cepphus grylle
The Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle) is a striking medium-sized alcid, an iconic seabird of the North Atlantic and Arctic coastlines. Measuring 30-38 cm in length with a wingspan of 52-58 cm and weighing 300-500g, its most distinctive feature during the breeding season is its entirely sooty black plumage contrasted sharply with a prominent, brilliant white wing patch. Adding to this dramatic appearance are its bright red legs and feet, and an equally vivid red mouth lining often visible when ...
Predominantly coastal and marine, inhabiting rocky shorelines, sea cliffs, and offshore islands for breeding, and staying in ice-free or partly ice-covered waters offshore during winter.
Primarily small bottom-dwelling fish (e.g., blennies, sculpins, juvenile cod), supplemented with crustaceans (shrimp, amphipods) and marine worms, obtained by pursuit diving.
Black Guillemots are diurnal, spending much of their day diving for food or resting on the water and rocky perches. They are pursuit divers, using their wings for powerful underwater propulsion to catch prey, often foraging near the seafloor. During the breeding season, they exhibit territorial b...
The Black Guillemot boasts a circumpolar Arctic and subarctic breeding range, spanning both the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. In the North Atlantic, it breeds from the rocky coasts of eastern Canada (including Newfoundland, Labrador, and the Arctic archipelago), down to northeastern Ma...
Least Concern
- Black Guillemots are sometimes affectionately called "Sea Pigeons" due to their relatively small, rounded head and stout body. - They are exceptional divers, capable of plunging to depths of 50 meters (164 feet) and remaining submerged for up to two minutes. - Unlike many diving birds that use ...