Table of Contents
Overview
Distribution
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UNESCO-IOC Register of Marine Organisms
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=sourcedetails&id=1318
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Range Description
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IUCN
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National Distribution
Canada
Origin: Native
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Present
Confidence: Confident
Type of Residency: Year-round
United States
Origin: Native
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Present
Confidence: Confident
Type of Residency: Year-round
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Global Range: (>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)) BREEDS: northern Alaska south to Aleutians, along coast to southern California; in Eurasia from Chukotski Peninsula south to Kurile Islands. WINTERS: Aleutian Islands south to central California; in Eurasia generally near breeding grounds, casually to Japan.
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Physical Description
Size
Ecology
Habitat
Habitat and Ecology
Systems
- Terrestrial
- Marine
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Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 62 samples.
Environmental ranges
Depth range (m): 0 - 0
Temperature range (°C): 12.466 - 16.316
Nitrate (umol/L): 0.240 - 3.951
Salinity (PPS): 31.538 - 33.496
Oxygen (ml/l): 5.685 - 6.346
Phosphate (umol/l): 0.330 - 0.674
Silicate (umol/l): 1.436 - 9.560
Graphical representation
Temperature range (°C): 12.466 - 16.316
Nitrate (umol/L): 0.240 - 3.951
Salinity (PPS): 31.538 - 33.496
Oxygen (ml/l): 5.685 - 6.346
Phosphate (umol/l): 0.330 - 0.674
Silicate (umol/l): 1.436 - 9.560
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.
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Comments: Nonbreeding: mostly pelagic and along rocky seacoasts (AOU 1983); or, nonpelagic, moving in winter from exposed coast to bays and inlets (Johnsgard 1987). May rest at night in "rafts" offshore prior to breeding season. Nests along coasts or on islands; on cliffs, talus slopes, in rock crevices, caves, among rocks along shores, in abandoned burrows; may dig own burrow, or nest under dock or piers. Often uses same nest site in successive years.
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Migration
Non-Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species do not make significant seasonal migrations. Juvenile dispersal is not considered a migration.
Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).
Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.
Generally sedentary; probably almost wholly resident at least as far north as British Columbia and Washington, also throughout Gulf of Alaska and Aleutians (Johnsgard 1987). Arrives in breeding sites in central California in early March (Nelson 1987).
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Trophic Strategy
Comments: Diet mainly small fishes (e.g., blennies, sculpins, sand launce, smelt, etc.); generally inshore benthic species; also includes mollusks, crustaceans, and marine worms. Forages underwater. Off southern British Columbia, foraging birds occurred mainly in areas where water depth was 10-20 m (Clowater and Burger 1994).
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Population Biology
Global Abundance
100,000 - 1,000,000 individuals
Comments: Estimate of number of breeding birds based on 1970s data: at least 20,000 birds south of Alaska, perhaps 200,000 in Alaska (Lensink 1984, Johnsgard 1987). See also Spendelow and Patton 1988 for information on distribution and abundance in California, Oregon, and Washington (1970s data).
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General Ecology
Life History and Behavior
Life Expectancy
Lifespan, longevity, and ageing
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Reproduction
Breeding begins from mid-May in south to mid-June in north. Clutch size is 1 or (usually) 2. Incubation by both sexes, lasts 30-32 days. Young are tended by both adults, can fly at 29-39 days. Yearlings and most 2-yr-olds do not breed; first breeds generally at 3-4 years on Farallon Islands (Nelson 1991). Nests singly or in loose aggregation or small colony. Tends to retain same mate in successive years.
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Molecular Biology and Genetics
Molecular Biology
Barcode data: Cepphus columba
There are 3 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank. Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species. See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.
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Download FASTA File
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Statistics of barcoding coverage: Cepphus columba
Public Records: 3
Specimens with Barcodes: 7
Species With Barcodes: 1
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Conservation
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List Assessment
Red List Category
Red List Criteria
Version
Year Assessed
Assessor/s
Reviewer/s
Contributor/s
Justification
History
- 2008Least Concern
- 2004Least Concern
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National NatureServe Conservation Status
Canada
Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure
United States
Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure
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NatureServe Conservation Status
Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure
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Wikipedia
Pigeon Guillemot
The Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba) is a medium-sized alcid endemic to the Pacific. They closely resemble the other members of the genus Cepphus, particularly the Black Guillemot, which is slightly smaller.
Adult birds have black bodies with a white wing patch broken by a black wedge, a thin dark bill and red legs and feet. They are similar in appearance to the Black Guillemot but show dark wing linings in flight. In winter, the upper parts are mottled grey and black and the underparts are white. They walk well and habitually have an upright posture.
Their breeding habitat is rocky shores, cliffs and islands on northern often forming small loose colonies. They usually lay their eggs in rocky cavities near water, but will often nest in any available cavity including caves, disused burrows of other seabirds and even old bomb casings. Unlike many alcids, Pigeon Guillemots are diurnal and lay two eggs. Because they can feed their chicks constantly throughout the day, the chicks fledge faster than equivalent sized auks that are only provisioned at night.
Pigeon Guillemots range across the Northern Pacific from the Kuril Islands and the Kamchatka Peninsula in Siberia to coasts in western North America from Alaska to California. After the breeding season birds in Alaska migrate south to open waters, whereas some birds from California move north to the waters off British Columbia. Birds usually return to their natal colony to breed.
They dive for food from the surface, swimming underwater, feeding on benthic prey, which is usually obtained close to shore. They mainly eat fish and other aquatic animals, particularly sculpins, sandfish (Trichodon), cods, capelin, and crabs. Chick diet varies slightly, with more fish than invertebrates, particularly rockfish.
Gallery
Pigeon Guillemots, Vancouver, BC
_in_Monterey_Bay.jpg)
References
- Artyukhin, Yu.B. and V.N. Burkanov (1999). Sea birds and marine mammals of the Russian Far East: a Field Guide, Мoscow: АSТ Publishing – 215 p. (Russian)
- Gaston, A. and I. Jones, Ian, (1998), The Auks, Alcidae, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-854032-9.
- Ewins, P. J. (1993). Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba). In The Birds of North America, No. 49 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, D.C.: The American Ornithologists’ Union.
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Names and Taxonomy
Taxonomy
Comments: Composed of two groups: Columba of western North America and eastern Siberia and SNOWI of the Kuril Islands (AOU 1998). Constitutes a superspecies with C. GRYLLE and possibly C. CARBO of Asia (AOU 1998).
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