Crested Auklet
A species of Typical auklets Scientific name : Aethia cristatella Genus : Typical auklets
Crested Auklet, A species of Typical auklets
Botanical name: Aethia cristatella
Genus: Typical auklets
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Lars Petersson 
Description
The crested auklet can measure 18–27 cm (7.1–10.6 in) in length, 34–50 cm (13–20 in) in wingspan and weigh 195–330 g (6.9–11.6 oz). They have a reddish-orange and yellow tipped bill, yellowish white irises, and white auricular plumes from their eyes to their ears. Their bodies, wings, and tails are primarily dark sooty grey, while their legs and feet are grey and claws black. The males and females are very similar, although the females have slightly smaller and less curved bills, additionally slightly smaller crests. Crested auklets are known for their forehead crests, which is made of black forward-curving feathers. These forehead crests are highly variable, and can have between two and twenty three narrow forward curving feathers. The average auklet has 12 crest feathers, which are of variable length, between 8.1 and 58.5 millimetres. Auklets have auricular plumes and a bright orange bill with curved accessory plates. Like forehead crests, these features vary widely within auklet populations. The crested auklet is recognized primarily by two characteristics during the breeding season. The first is its crest, a group of bristle feathers located on top of its head above its eyes. The second is a social odor that the auklets produce during the breeding season, described as smelling like tangerines. This odor originates from tiny wick feathers, located in a small patch of skin between the shoulder blades. In winter plumage, their bills are smaller and dull yellow. They lack accessory plates and their crest and auricular plumes are reduced. Juveniles are similar to winter adults, but without auricular and crest plumes. Their bills are smaller, and colored a dull brownish yellow. Juveniles take 33 days to reach adult size. 
Size
23 - 41 cm
Life Expectancy
8-10.8 years
Feeding Habits
Crested Auklet primarily feeds on marine invertebrates like krill, copepods, pteropods, amphipods, and larval fishes. They exhibit specialized foraging behaviors, often hunting at sea for these organisms. Crested Auklet has unique adaptations enabling it to exploit a wide range of prey within its oceanic habitat.
Habitat
Slopes, boulder fields, lava flows, sea cliffs
Nest Behavior
Crested Auklet typically begins breeding at 3 or more years of age. Courtship involves honking, bill-touching, and mutual preening between partners. After nest building, the egg-laying and parental care are shared by both parents.
Nest Characteristics
Crested Auklet's nest is usually located in a deep crevice on a cliff or amidst boulders, often several feet below the rock surface. It consists of a shallow depression lined with soil or pebbles.
Dite type
Piscivorous
General Info
Distribution Area
Crested auklets are found throughout the northern Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea. They are particularly prevalent during the non-breeding winter months along the Aleutian Islands, Kuril Islands and the Russian island of Sakhalin. They travel to breeding locations on the islands and shorelines of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Bering Sea during the late spring and summer. Their habitats consist of slopes, boulder fields, lava flows, and sea cliffs. They are often found with other auklet species such as the least auklet. On a daily basis, crested auklets circle 500 meters above the sea and the breeding colonies. This circling is triggered by disturbances and predators posing a threat.
Species Status
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, crested auklets are of least concern. The global population exceeds 8.2 million individuals, while the North American population is estimated at 2.9 million birds. However, an accurate assessment of the number of birds is difficult, since those on the surface of the colony and in the nearby sea form only a small proportion of the variable and poorly understood population. There is greater concern for the Alaskan population. There has been high predation by rats which have escaped from fishing vessels in the harbor. The auklets' main predators are gulls, Arctic fox and common ravens. They have also been reported in the stomachs of halibut caught on St. Lawrence Island. Oil spills and collisions with light sources pose additional risks. In Alaska, there is some subsistence hunting of the species.
Photo By Lars Petersson 
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Shorebirds Family
Alcidae Genus
Typical auklets Species
Crested Auklet 
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