Black Guillemot

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Black Guillemot Conservation status: Least concern
Black Guillemot in Oban harbour
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Subclass: Eutheria Order: Charadriiformes Family: Alcidae Genus: Cepphus Species: C. grylle
Binomial name
Cepphus grylle Linnaeus, 1758

The Black Guillemot or Tystie, Cepphus grylle, is a medium-sized alcid at 32-38 cm in length, and with a 49-58 cm wingspan.

Adult birds have black bodies with a white wing patch, a thin dark bill and red legs and feet. They show white wing linings in flight. In winter, the upperparts are pale grey and the underparts are white. The wings remain black with the large white patch on the inner wing.

Their breeding habitat is rocky shores, cliffs and islands on northern Atlantic coasts in eastern North America as far south as Maine, and in western Europe as far south as Ireland. In the UK it is fairly common breeding bird in western and northern Scotland. In the rest of Great Britain they only breed at St. Bees Head in Cumbria, the Isle of Man and on east Anglesey in north Wales. Some birds breed in Alaska where their range overlaps with the Pigeon Guillemot. They usually lay their eggs in rocky sites near water.

These birds often overwinter in their breeding areas, moving to open waters if necessary, but usually not migrating very far south.

They dive for food from the surface, swimming underwater. They mainly eat fish and crustaceans, also some mollusks, insects and plant material.

The call in the breeding season is a high whistle. The red gape is also prominent then.

Black Guillemots in Oban harbour

[edit] References

• BirdLife International (2004). Cepphus grylle. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
• "National Geographic" Field Guide to the Birds of North America ISBN 0-792-26877-6
• Seabirds, an Identification Guide by Peter Harrison, ISBN 0-7470-8028-8
• Handbook of the Birds of the World Vol 3, Josep del Hoyo editor, ISBN 84-87334-20-2
• "National Audubon Society" The Sibley Guide to Birds, by David Allen Sibley, ISBN 0-679-45122-6