Pigeon guillemot
| Pigeon guillemot | |
|---|---|
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| From Kodiak | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Alcidae |
| Genus: | Cepphus |
| Species: | C. columba |
| Binomial name | |
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Cepphus columba (Pallas, 1811) |
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| Subspecies | |
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5, see text |
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5, see text
The pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba) is a species of bird in the auk family, Alcidae. It is endemic to the Pacific Ocean. It closely resembles the other members of the genus Cepphus, particularly the black guillemot, which is slightly smaller and lacks dark wing lines.
The pigeon guillemot is considered to be a least concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The pigeon guillemot is one of three species of auk in the genus Cepphus, the other two being the black guillemot of the Atlantic Ocean and the spectacled guillemot from the Eastern Pacific. The genus Cepphus is most closely related to the murrelets from the genus Synthliboramphus. Within the genus, the pigeon guillemot and spectacled guillemot are sister species, and the black guillemot is basal within the genus.
There are five listed subspecies of the pigeon guillemot:
The pigeon guillemot is a medium-sized auk, 30 to 37 cm (12–15 in) in length and weighing 450–550 g (16–19 oz). The adult bird has a black body with a white wing patch broken by a black wedge, and red legs and feet. The bill is long and black with a red mouth. In winter, the upperparts are mottled grey and black, with the underparts being white. It walks well and habitually has an upright posture. The differences between the subspecies are based on body measurements such as the culmen and wing length. These are larger in southern subspecies and smaller further north. The amount of white on the outer primaries and underwing coverts increases in northern subspecies, except for Cepphus columba snowi, where the white is reduced or entirely absent. The juvenile pigeon guillemot has faint white streaking, with brownish black feathers. Its legs are a gray-orange colour.
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