Species: Aethia psittacula
Parakeet Auklet
Species
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Craniata
Class
Aves
Order
Charadriiformes
Family
Alcidae
Genus
Aethia
NatureServe
Classification
Other Global Common Names
Starique perroquet
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Other Birds
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Craniata - Aves - Charadriiformes - Alcidae - Aethia - by AOU (1997).
Ecology and Life History
Migration
false - true - true
Non-migrant
false
Locally Migrant
true
Food Comments
Eats amphipods, larval fishes, cephalopods, euphausiids, and/or polychaetes as available (see Johnsgard 1987). At Buldir Island, Alaska, during late chick rearing, ate mainly copepod NEOCALANUS PLUMCHRUS and amphipod PARATHEMISTO PACIFICA (Day and Byrd 1989). Forages on or near water surface or dives to rocky bottom at moderate depth (Terres 1980).
Reproduction Comments
One egg laid, mainly June. Incubation 35-36 days, by both sexes. Young tended by both sexes. Young fledge and independent at 34-37 days (late August-early September, St. Lawrence Island). Sexually mature probably in 3 years. Commonly 10,000s nest on single island.
Ecology Comments
Relatively solitary for an auklet (Terres 1980).
Length
25
Weight
318
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G5
Global Status Last Reviewed
1997-09-02
Global Status Last Changed
1997-09-02
Other Status
LC - Least concern
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
<img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?US.AK=S5&US.WA=__" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
Global Range
BREEDING: western Alaska from Diomede Islands, Fairway Rock, Sledge Island, and Norton Sound south through Bering Sea islands to Aleutians, east to Prince William Sound; also eastern Siberia. NON-BREEDING: Pribilofs and Aleutians south, rarely to California, casual in Hawaii (AOU 1983).