Black Guillemot

Black Guillemot; adult; breeding plumage

About the photographs

About the map

Play sound from this species

Menu

1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A black-and-white bird of the northern seas, the Black Guillemot breeds along the coasts of Canada and Greenland. Unlike other members of the puffin family, it prefers to forage in relatively shallow near-shore waters.

Description

• Medium-sized to small waterbird.
• Thin, straight bill.
• Large white wing patches.
• Bright red feet.
• Relatively long, thick neck.
• All black with white wing patches in summer.
• Mostly white with dusky back in winter.

• Size: 30-32 cm (12-13 in)
• Wingspan: 52-58 cm (20-23 in)
• Weight: 320-485 g (11.3-17.12 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike.

Sound

High-pitched, thin twitters and piping calls. Alarm call is a loud, wavering whistle.

Conservation Status

Lack of accurate census data makes determination of population trends difficult. The Black Guillemot is more susceptible to ingestion and biomagnification of marine pollution than other alcids because it takes prey from shallow water or at the sea floor. Studies have shown accumulation of mercury, pesticides, and crude oil residues in body tissues and eggs. Oiling of feathers from spills at sea usually results in death. Global warming may also affect populations.

Other Names

Guillemot à miroir (French)

Cool Facts

• The Black Guillemot carries fish crosswise in its bill. Some adults seem to show a preference for the direction in which the fish heads point; this "handedness" may be related to the selection of foraging sites.
• The Black Guillemot can stay underwater for up to 2 minutes and 20 seconds.

• The Black Guillemot shows a considerable amount of geographic variation in the amount of white in its winter plumage. Higher-latitude populations show more white background color than do southern populations, and can be nearly pure white with black wings.

• The Black Guillemot breeds colonially, with different densities at different sites. Colonies tend to be smaller in the southern portion of breeding range, perhaps because prey is more widely distributed. In the high Arctic, where food is more concentrated, some colonies have 2,000-10,000 pairs.

Sources used to construct this page:

Butler, R. G., and D. E. Buckley. 2002. Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle). In The Birds of North America, No. 675 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.