Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle)

 

 

 

The Black Guillemot is one the so-called Atlantic Auks and is distributed in subarctic and arctic zones. It breeds on Pacific and Atlantic shores of North America (including Bering Strait) and also on Greenland, Iceland and all larger arctic Eurasian archipelagos, including east Siberian islands.

 

The Black Guilemot also distributes in northwest Europe on Irish shores, in Scotland including Western Hebrides, Orkneys and Shetland, Norway, southern Sweden and Fennoscandia and also in the southern and western Baltics.

 

In the Wadden Sea we can watch Black Guillemots nearly all year round as migrants, over-summerer and during winter.

 

The world population is estimated at <350,000 breeding pairs, with European breeding population estimated at 130,000-300,000 breeding pairs.

 

 

Description - Characteristics: Black Guillemot

 

Breeding – Clutch – Measurements – Habitat – Diet - Threats

 

Taxonomy:

Order: Charadriiformes

Family: Alcidae

Genus: Cepphus

Species: Black Guillemot

 

Scientific Name: Cepphus grylle

 

Names and Synonyms of the Black Guillemot

 

Name in German: Gryllteiste

Name in Czech: Alkoun obecný

Name in Slovak: Svišťúň zrkadlový

Name in Hungarian: Fekete lumma

Name in Croat: Crna njorka

Name in French: Guillemot à miroir

Name in Spanish: Arao Aliblanco

Name in Portuguese: Arau-d'asa-branca

Name in Dutch: Zwarte Zeekoet

Name in Italian: Uria nera

Name in Iceland: Teista

Name in Faroer: Teisti

Name in Greenland: Serfaq

Name in North Sami: Cielkkis

Name in Finnish: Riskilä

Name in Danish: Tejst

Name in Swedish: Tobisgrissla

Name in Polish: Nurnik

Name in Russian: Чистик

 

Distribution – Movements – Habitat - Behaviour

 

Distribution: Breeding on the shores of the North Pacific and North Atlantic; North Atlantic shores: arctic northern America southwards to Newfoundland, Greenland, the arctic Eurasian archipelagos and eastwards to New Siberian Islands; northwest Europe southwards to the British Isles and southern Sweden.

 

Movements: Sedentary on the British Isles, otherwise migratory. Juveniles are migratory. Winter areas in the Baltics are reached between December to January, returning to breeding grounds between April and May.

 

Wintering: European Black Guillemots winter in the western and southern Baltics. Subspecies atlantis usually migrates no further than 300/400 km from breeding grounds

 

Habitat: Usually lives close to shorelines. Preferres rocky, pebble or sandy islands. Also between rocks at the base of steep cliffs. On bird cliffs usually on the lower floors.

 

Behaviour: Mostly diurnal. In flight much more agile than Common Guillemot. Flight over water surface but also at higher altitudes. Can dive to maximum depth of 18-20 m, average depth between 3.5-5 m. Diving time between 30-50 seconds.

 

 

Field Characteristics: Clearly smaller than Common Guillemot, larger than Puffin. Most outstanding feature are the red legs. Pointed black bill. Plump pot-bellied body. Adult shows large oval upperwing patches. Underwing white.

 

Bill: dark.

Tarsus: red.

 

Iris: dark.

 

Measurements

 

Size: 30-32 cm

Weight:

♂: 450-550 g

♀: 340-500 g

Wingspan: 52-58 cm

Wing: 19.9-18.2 cm

 

 

Voice: Mostly silent, except for breeding season, utters sounds like sipp-sipp-sipp” or similar.

 

Breeding

 

Maturity: at around 2 years of age, at the earliest. First breeding usually later.

Mating Season: after arrival at breeding area. Monogamous breeding pair, very loyal to nest site and former partner.

 

Clutches per breeding season1 clutch

Breeding: depending on geographical region, in Europe mainly from early May to late June.

 

Nest: Scratched mould, lined with any sort of material, nest sites in caves, half-caves, crevices, below stones, even below bar; also former nest tunnels of the sand martin.

 

 

Miscellaneous

 

Food: fish, crustaceans, mullusks, bristle worms.

 

Longevity: The oldest known ringed birds of the Black Guillemot reached ages of >22 years, also >16-17 years.

 

Mortality: survival rate of Black Guillemots between fledging and maturity c. 33-53%.

 

Threats: Similar to all other auks: Oil pollution, especially after accidents on the seas. People collecting eggs on Faroe, in Norway and Great Britain. Losses by drowning in fishing nets. Overfishing especially on sprats, sandeels and herrings. High levels of heavy metals and pesticides. Disturbances at colonies. Predators: minks and rats.

 

 

 

References

 

Bauer, Hans-Günther, Bezzel, Einhard et. al. (HG), Kompendium der Vögel Mitteleuropas, Volume 1+2, Sonderausgabe 2012, Aula Verlag, Wiebelsheim

Bauer, Hans-Günther, Bezzel, Einhard et. al. (HG), Kompendium der Vögel Mitteleuropas, Volume 3, Literatur und Anhang, Aula Verlag Wiebelsheim, 2. vollständig überarbeitete Auflage 1993

Bezzel, Einhard, Kompendium der Vögel Mitteleuropas, Non-Passeriformes, Volume 1, AULA-Verlag Wiesbaden, 1985

Bruun/Singer/König/Der Kosmos Vogelführer, Franck'sche Verlagshandlung Stuttgart, 5. Auflage 1982

Glutz von Blotzheim, Urs et. al (HG), Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas, Vol 8/II, Charadriiformes (Part 3), Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft Wiesbaden, 1982

Svenson, Lars et. al, Collins Bird Guide, Harper Collins London, 2009, revised and reprinded 2021

 

 

Image Credits

 

Egg of Common Guillemot - Source: by Klaus Rassinger und Gerhard Cammerer, Museum Wiesbaden - own works, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35852793