[Length 10.5 in. Wingspan 17 in.]

The Auklets are the smallest of all the Alcid family, which includes Puffins, Murres, Guillemots, and Murrelets. The Crested Auklet is black above and dark gray below, with an orange bill, and several feather plumes on its head (all dark feathers except the one that protrudes from the rear of the eye). The similar Parakeet Auklet is white below, and the very similar Whiskered Auklet has two white plumes in front of the eye as well. Crested Auklets breed on the islands of the Bering Sea, where they nest and roost on cliff faces. In winter they disperse and spend most of their time at sea. These Crested Auklets were photographed on the cliffs at Reef Point on St. Paul Island in the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Ektachrome 400 film pushed to 800. (Date: June 1984)

[Length 6.25 in. Wingspan 12 in.]

The Auklets are the smallest of all the Alcid family, which includes Puffins, Murres, Guillemots, and Murrelets. The Least Auklet is the smallest of all the Auklets. It is black above and white or mottled gray below, with a dark orange bill. Its small size distinguishes it from all other seabirds. Parakeet Auklets breed on the islands of the Bering Sea, where they nest and roost on cliff faces. They often occur in large flocks which sometimes seem to "explode" from the cliff faces where they breed and roost. In winter they disperse and spend most of their time at sea. These Least Auklets were photographed on St. Paul Island in the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 64 film. (Date: June 1984)

[Length 6.25 in. Wingspan 12 in.]

This Least Auklet was photographed on St. Paul Island in the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 64 film. (Date: June 1984)

[Length 10 in. Wingspan 18 in.]

The Auklets are the smallest of all the Alcid family, which includes Puffins, Murres, Guillemots, and Murrelets. The Parakeet Auklet is black above and white below, with an orange bill, and a white feather plume the protrudes from the rear of the eye. The similar Crested and Whiskered Auklets are dark below. Parakeet Auklets breed on the islands and rocky coasts of the Bering Sea, where they nest and roost on cliff faces. In winter they disperse and spend most of their time at sea. This Parakeet Auklet was photographed on St. Paul Island in the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 64 film. (Date: June 1984)

[Length 10 in. Wingspan 18 in.]

These Parakeet Auklets were photographed on St. Paul Island in the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 64 film. (Date: June 1984)

[Length 8.25 in. Wingspan 15 in.]

This breeding plumaged Dovkie was photographed in Placentia Bay in Newfoundland, Canada. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF f4.0 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: July 1994)

[Length 13 in. Wingspan 21 in.]

This Black Guillemot was photographed at Lerwick, Mainland, Shetland, Scotland, Great Britain. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF-S f4 lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D100 camera. (Date: June 10, 2004)

[Length 13 in. Wingspan 21 in.]

This Black Guillemot was photographed at Lerwick, Mainland, Shetland, Scotland, Great Britain. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF-S f4 lens (EFL=450mm) on a Nikon D100 camera. (Date: June 10, 2004)