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Parakeet Auklet - Aethia psittacula

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Alcidae
Genus: Aethia

ICUN Redlist - World Status:

Least Concern

Description

The parakeet auklet is a small, chubby seabird about 9-10 inches tall. It has dark black feathers on its head and back, a white throat and chest, and a white plume behind its yellow eyes. It has a distinctive bright red bill. In summer, its eye plume may disappear. Males and females look the same.

Range

map In North America, the parakeet auklet lives and breeds on islands and cliffs off the coast of Alaska. It winters in the waters off the coast of Alaska.

Habitat

The parakeet auklet nests on island coasts and cliffs.

Diet

The parakeet auklet dives for krill. Sometimes it eats small fish.

Life Cycle

The female parakeet auklet usually lays just one egg in a cliff crevice or among boulders. The egg hatches in a little over a month. The chick fledges in just a little over a month.

Behavior

Unlike other auklets, the parakeet auklet doesn't nest in large colonies. One parakeet auklet sits on a cliff ledge near its nest and watches for danger, while the other auklet incubates the egg or tends to the chick.

Audio Credit: xeno-canto.org Ryan P. O'Donnell