Species › Birds › Cassin's Auklet

Cassin's Auklet

Ptychoramphus aleuticus

UncommonBird
Illustration of Cassin's Auklet (Ptychoramphus aleuticus)

Cassin's Auklet is a small, plain gray-brown seabird of the Pacific that is arguably the most numerous seabird on the Pacific Coast of North America. It has a distinctive pale crescent above the eye. It nests in burrows in dense colonies on rocky Pacific islands and forages at night using echolocation to find zooplankton. Its population is sensitive to ocean temperature changes.

Habitat
Open North Pacific ocean; nests on offshore islands
Diet
Krill, copepods, and small fish
How common
Uncommon

Best time to see a Cassin's Auklet

The best time to see a Cassin's Auklet is August–January, when about 66% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 745 research-grade iNaturalist observations.

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