Razorbill

Scientific Name: Alca torda

Range / Habitat: Marine species, breeding on steep mainland cliffs and rock offshore islands in subarctic waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Winters offshore from breeding areas, though often extending further south.

Field Notes: Medium-sized waterbird with black head, neck and back, white undersides. Stout, deep, and round-tipped bill has criss-crossing white lines. Often holds tail up in the air. Throat white in non-breeding plumage. Common Murre and Thick-billed Murre less stocky with longer bill, lacking characteristic marks.

Personal Notes: Part of an exceptional visit to the Latrabjarg cliffs in western Iceland.

Thick-billed Murre

Scientific Name: Uria lomvia

Range / Habitat: Exclusively marine, breeding on coastal cliffs and islands, restricted to Arctic zones with open water. Winters offshore of breeding grounds, where often found at see in large flocks.

Field Notes: Medium-sized waterbird with black head, neck and back. Clean white underparts. Non-breeding adults have white throats. Common Murre without white gape and with streaking on flanks.  Razorbill more stocky, with stouter bill with white ring at the tip.

Personal Notes: Also seen at the Latrabjarg cliffs in Iceland.

Common Murre

Scientific Name: Uria aalge

Range / Habitat: Exclusively marine, breeding along sea coasts on rocky cliffs and offshore islands throughout the subarctics. In winter, generally pelagic in the same waters.

Field Notes: Medium-sized waterbird with black to dark-brown head, neck and back. White underparts with some dark streaking on the flanks. Bridled or ringed morph, restricted to the Atlantic, has white eye-ring and post-ocular stripe. Non-breeding adults have white on face and throat. Thick-billed Murre has a white line on the gape, is blacker on the back, and lacks streaked flanks. Razorbill more stocky, with stouter bill lined in white.

Personal Notes: Seen huddled in large clusters against the wind on the Latrabjarg cliffs in western Iceland.

Rhinoceros Auklet

Scientific Name: Cerorhinca monocerata

Population Estimate: 1.3M

Range / Habitat: Species of the North Pacific. Breeds in California and off the Pacific coast of the US up to the Aleutian Islands. Also breeds off the coast of parts of Japan, North Korea, and Russia. In winter, normally pelagic in waters offshore from breeding areas.

Field Notes: Medium-sized, stocky waterbird. All dark gray, except for white belly. Breeding adult has vertical white projection at base of thick orange bill, and two thin white plumes on face.

Personal Notes: Seen off Finlayson Point in Victoria, BC.

Pigeon Guillemot

Scientific Name: Cepphus columba

Population Estimate: 470K

Range / Habitat: Year-round in Pacific coast of North America, from Alaska down to California.

Field Notes: Medium-sized water bird. All black except for white wing patches and bright red feet. Whistling call.

Personal Notes:

Atlantic Puffin

Scientific Name: Fratercula arctica

Population Estimate: 6M

Range / Habitat: The Atlantic Puffin can be found on rocky coasts in the Northern Atlantic during breeding season and on the open ocean in non-breeding season.

Field Notes: It is black on its uppersides and white on its chest and belly. It has bright orange webbed feet and a white face and cheeks and a large, triangular parrot-like bill that is bright red and yellow. After the breeding season, some of the bill's outer horny plates fall off and the bill is smaller and duller.

Personal Notes:

 

Black Guillemot

Scientific Name: Cepphus grylle

Range / Habitat: Marine species, nests on rocky coastlines throughout the subarctic. Mostly pelagic in the same waters in winter.

Field Notes: Medium-sized water bird. All black with bright white wing patches during breeding.  Inside of mouth and feet bright red. Mostly white with dusky back in winter.

Personal Notes: We finally went back to Iceland to get an upgraded photo and replace the "black guilledot" on this post.