#alcidae

[herpsandbirds]

Dovekie aka Little Auk (Alle alle), family Alcidae, order Charadriiformes, Iceland

Photograph by Christophe Moning

[snototter]

A black guillemot or tystie (Cepphus grylle) in Mousa, Shetland, UK

by Gary Faulkner

[birdblues]

Atlantic Puffin

[fullfrontalbirds]

Razorbill (Alca torda)

© Will Kennerley

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Throughout the animal kingdom, horns are used as a sure-fire way to impress potential mates. Case in point: the rhinoceros auklet. This bird is named for the horn-like appendage (known as a rhamphotheca) that grows from the beak of breeding males and females. The size of the horn, and the ultaviolet patterns covering its surface, is thought to influence mate choice.

(Image: A rhinoceros auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata) by Eric Ellingson)

Want to request some art or uncharismatic facts? Just send me proof of donation to any of the fundraisers on this list, or a Palestinian organization of your choice! Proof does not have to include any personal info– only the date, the amount, and the recipient.

[spinus-pinus]

Least Auklet Aethia pusilla

7/16/2024 St. Paul Island, Alaska

Sam Darmstadt via iNaturalist, CC-BY-NC

[haveyouseenthisbirdpoll]

photo source

[blogbirdfeather]

Razorbill - Torda-mergulheira (Alca torda)

Setúbal/Portugal (13/03/2024)

[Nikon D850; AF-S Nikkor 500mm F5,6E PF ED VR]

[birds-mid-noms]

Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica)

© Anthony Schlencker

[ornithological]

common guillemots (uria aalge), with one incubating an egg, ireland

[proton-wobbler]

Dovekie (Alle alle)

"Theyre small atlantic cold water bird that looks a lot like a penguin! I grew up in a small fishing village and they were very commonly sighted in the shores around the winter, to the point where locals would call them Little Winter Birds" "The cutest little bird you ever did sea :3"

"The flight is direct, with fast whirring wing beats due to the short wings."

Dovekie are also known by a few other names, such as little auk, rotch (or rotche), and sea dove, although sometimes that can refer to the black guillemot as well. They typically eat crustaceans, and will eat up to a fifth of their body weight daily!

Little auks breed in large colonies on marine cliffsides. They nest in crevices or beneath large rocks, usually laying just a single egg. Their typical predators are glaucous gull and Arctic fox, though there have been reports of polar bear feeding on dovekie eggs.

Despite being tiny little guys, there are a few different types of food that can be made of little auk. One dish, known as Kiviaq, is Inuit in origin, from Greenland. A seal skin is stuffed with 300-500 dovekie, then sealed with seal fat and left to ferment for 3-18 months, where it will then be eaten during the winter. In Newfoundland, the birds were stuffed with savory dressing and oven-baked, but were known as a food of last resort in order to prevent starvation. This is likely due to the fact it would take 5 to 6 birds to feed a person, and that the meat is lean.

Sources:

Image Source: eBird ( Christoph Moning)

[herpsandbirds]

Razorbill (Alca torda), family Alcidae, order Charadriiformes, Iceland

Photographs by Nick Mir

[snototter]

A crested auklet (Aethia cristatella) sits cliffside on St Paul Island, Alaska, USA

by Isaac Sanchez

[birdblues]

Atlantic Puffin

[fullfrontalbirds]

Parakeet Auklet (Aethia psittacula)

© Wentao Yang

[auntie-birdie]

Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata)

© Luis Gles