Spectacled Guillemot

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iSpectacled Guillemot
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Alcidae
Genus: Cepphus
Species: C. carbo
Binomial name
Cepphus carbo
Pallas, 1811

The Spectacled, or Sooty Guillemot, Cepphus carbo, is a seabird in the auk family.

[edit] Description

This species is about 38 cm (15") long, with red legs, black bill and a blackish iris.

The breeding adult Spectacled Guillemot is distinctive, mostly plumaged dull sooty-black except for conspicuous white 'spectacles' on the face

In adult non-breeding plumage, the underparts are white, uniformly tipped very pale grey-brown. Transitional birds are like breeding adults, except the underparts are scaled with white.

Sexes are alike, but juveniles are separable from adults. There are no subspecies.

[edit] Range

Spectacled Guillemot is restricted to the northwestern Pacific Ocean; its range overlaps with those of Pigeon, Brünnich's, and Common Guillemots.

[edit] References

Peter Harrison, Seabirds An Identification Guide ISBN 0-395-60291-2