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Auks, Murres, and Puffins

21 Bird Species

Ancient Murrelet

Named for its ragged patch of head feathers resembling gray hair in alternate plumage, the diminutive Ancient Murrelet has a black head and bib, partial white collar, gray back, straw-yellow bill, and white underparts. In winter, the white head streaks fade and the black bib is encroached by white. A more...

Length: 26 cm Wingspan: 43 cm

Atlantic Puffin

Unmistakable; the only puffin found in the Atlantic Ocean. Crisply marked with black upperparts, white underparts, a black breast band, white face, orange legs, and large blue and orange bill. A bit smaller than Tufted and Horned Puffins, which are unknown from Eastern North America. Without range as more...

Length: 32 cm Wingspan: 53 cm

Black Guillemot

In alternate plumage, adults are black with a broad white wing patch, red legs, and a slender bill. In basic plumage, mostly white with black flight feathers and mottled black back. Compared to its western counterpart, Pigeon Guillemot, Black is paler in basic plumage, and has no dark bar in the whit more...

Length: 33 cm Wingspan: 53 cm

Cassin's Auklet

Often described as a flying football, this species is chunky, thick-necked, rounded, and evenly shaded over most of its body. It is sooty charcoal gray on the back, head, and breast. The belly and undertail vary from medium gray to near white. The bill is fairly stout, mostly dark with a pale area a more...

Length: 23 cm Wingspan: 38 cm

Common Murre

Dense breeding colonies of Common Murres often reach tens of thousands of individuals, making this one of the more abundant seabirds along the rocky coastlines of eastern and western North America. Fully-grown, murres are larger than murrelets and auklets with a long chisel-shaped bill. Recently-fled more...

Length: 45 cm Wingspan: 66 cm

Craveri's Murrelet

Craveri's Murrelet might be encountered in late summer or fall off the southern California coast, but the core of its range surrounds Baja California, south of the U.S. border. This slender, black-and-white seabird, rarely seen from shore, is very similar to Xantus' Murrelet, but has gray underwings more...

Length: 24 cm Wingspan: 38 cm

Crested Auklet

Small and chunky, the Crested Auklet is named for its thick, upright, forward-curling crest in alternate plumage. Adults are dark-bodied with a stubby orange bill, pale eye, and a single thin white plume drooping behind the eye. In basic plumage, the crest is shorter, white plumes are dropped, and th more...

Length: 20 cm Wingspan: 43 cm

Dovekie

This tiny seabird typically swims tilted forward with head down, giving a thick-necked and short-tailed appearance. Adults in alternate plumage have black wings, back, head, and throat, with a short, stubby bill. In basic plumage, the throat is white, wrapping up behind the eye, leaving a dark neck b more...

Length: 21 cm Wingspan: 38 cm

Guadalupe Murrelet

About 10 inches long, this diminutive seabird is usually seen by boat off the southwest coast of the U.S. It has streamlined shape, black above and white below, with a short tail and slender black bill. It's range overlaps with very similar Scripp's Murrelet, with which it was considered conspecific more...

Length: 25 cm Wingspan: 38 cm

Horned Puffin

Crisply black-and-white patterned with a colorful bill, unlikely to be mistaken for any west coast seabird. Alternate plumaged adults are black above, white below, with a dark throat, white face, and orange and yellow bill. In basic and juvenile plumages, the bill and face are smudged with black and more...

Length: 38 cm Wingspan: 58 cm

Kittlitz's Murrelet

Very similar to more widespread Marbled Murrelet, but Kittlitz's has a shorter bill, golden-brown rather than dark chocolate brown overall markings, and white undertail coverts in alternate plumage. In basic plumage, note the whiter face with white extending above the eye on Kittlitz's. Long-billed M more...

Length: 24 cm Wingspan: 43 cm

Least Auklet

This tiny alcid is mostly dark above and light below; alternate-plumaged adults have a white throat, white eyes, variable dark speckling underneath, a dark bill with a pale reddish tip, and white plumes extending back from the eye. Basic-plumaged adults are entirely white below from chin to undertail more...

Length: 16 cm Wingspan: 30 cm

Long-billed Murrelet

Formerly considered conspecific with the similar Marbled Murrelet, Long-billed is slightly larger with a longer bill. Alternate plumaged birds differ from Marbled by having a pale throat and white eye arcs. Basic-plumaged birds are all dark on the nape and hindneck. more...

Length: 25 cm Wingspan: 43 cm

Marbled Murrelet

The Marbled Murrelet has become a symbol of northwest conifer forests, nesting in mature stands up to a couple dozen miles from the ocean. Otherwise, it spends its life at sea. At 25 cm in length, it is one of our smaller seabirds, with very different summer and winter plumages: mottled brown overall more...

Length: 25 cm Wingspan: 41 cm

Parakeet Auklet

This chunky small alcid is entirely dark above and mostly light below, with a thick, upturned bill. The bill is reddish orange on adults and dark on juveniles. A white plume droops from behind the eye in all plumages. Adults have white eyes, while young birds have dark eyes. This species lacks a cres more...

Length: 25 cm Wingspan: 46 cm

Pigeon Guillemot

Almost entirely black during the breeding season with a large white wing patch, bright red feet, and a slender black bill. In winter, they are entirely white below, with black and gray mottling on the crown, nape, and back. Dark wings with the white patch are retained throughout the year. In alternat more...

Length: 34 cm Wingspan: 59 cm