Pigeon guillemots (Cepphus columba) belong to the auk family, a group of birds that includes guillemots, puffins, auklets, and murrelets. Pigeon guillemots are almost entirely black except for a white wing patch and their bright vermillion colored legs. They are medium-sized birds and their plump body gives them a pigeon-like profile.
Pigeon guillemots have a long pointed, black bill. The inside of their mouth is bright red. The wings of pigeon guillemots are short and rounded—an adaptation that enables them to maneuver quite well when swimming and foraging underwater. Pigeon guillemots feeds on bottom-dwelling fish and invertebrates in water up to 45m in depth. They probe the rocky seabed with their long bill to capture prey.
- Mass: 487g (female) 483g (male)
- Body Length: 325 mm
- Wing Span: 187 mm
- Diet: bottom dwelling fish and invertebrates in water up to 45m in depth
- Breeding Season: May through August
- Sexual Maturity: 3 years
- Clutch Size: 1-2
- Time to Hatching: 32 days
- Time to Fledging: 35-54 days
- Predators: eagles and seagulls (egg predation)
- Average Lifespan: 4 to 7 years (wild)
- Habitat: rocky coasts
- Geographical Range: North America's Pacific coast from Alaska to California
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The year-round range of the pigeon guillemot extends along North America's Pacific coast from Alaska to California. It builds nests in burrows and rock cavities and is often found on small islands where it enjoys safety from predators.
