Whiskered Auklet
Aethia pygmaea
Small, blackish, eccentric-looking alcid. Breeds on remote volcanic islands in far northeastern Russia and the western Aleutians of Alaska; winters in the surrounding ocean. Breeding adult has a bright orange bill, fine white whiskers on the face, and a wispy black tuft that droops forward. Non-breeding adults have a short black tuft and much-reduced white whiskers. Crested Auklet is larger, with a stouter bill and a much smaller or completely lacking crest.
Identification
An odd characteristic of this bird, which is also shared with the crested auklet, is that its plumage smells of citrus.<p>Fishing boats pose a huge threat to this bird, since it is attracted to lights at night.
Taxonomy
The whiskered auklet was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the other auks in the genus Alca and coined the binomial name Alca pygmaea. Gmelin based his description on the "flat-billed auk" that had been described by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1785 and the "pygmy auk" that had been described by Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant in the same year. Both authors had given the locality as Bird Island (now St Matthew Island) in the Bering Sea. The whiskered auklet is now one of four small auks placed in the genus Aethia that was introduced by the German naturalist Blasius Merrem in 1788. The genus name Aethia is from the Ancient Greek aithuia, an unidentified seabird mentioned by Aristotle. The specific epithet pygmaea is from Latin pygmaeus meaning "dwarf" or "pygmy". The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
- Scientific name
- Aethia pygmaea
- Authority
- (Gmelin, JF, 1789)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Alcidae
- Genus
- Aethia
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Turdus unicolor
Both sexes of this thrush are fairly uniformly-colored: the male is predominantly blue-gray and the female is warm brown with a slight buffy wash to the underparts. May be confused with Indian Blackbird in southwestern wintering range, but both sexes are paler and smaller than their respective counterparts of that species. Breeds in open forest and forest edge in hilly and submontane areas; winters in similar habitat at lower altitudes. Sings melodic warbling and buzzing phrases; also gives a short bubbly bursts of “chup” notes.
Black-fronted Ground-Tyrant
Muscisaxicola frontalis
Breeds locally in the high Andes of central Chile and adjacent Argentina; migrates north in winter. Favors bleak rocky and stony slopes, adjacent bogs, and lakeshores; often in same areas as other ground-tyrant species. Subtly distinctive with rather ashy gray plumage, droop-tipped bill, and black “mohawk” head pattern. Often looks more pot-bellied than other sleeker ground-tyrants.
Opal-rumped Tanager
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Common tanager, found in a variety of forest habitats. Usually seen from below, in which case it is best identified by uniform dark underparts with rufous lower belly and undertail coverts, and active behavior. The shining white rump can be seen from most angles on perched birds, even when high overhead. Found in tall rainforest, shorter-stature forests on sandy soils, and in disturbed areas. Groups move rapidly through treetops, usually with other species of small tanagers, feeding on fruit. Calls are indistinct chips, often given in rapid series in flight.
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