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Least Auklet (Aethia pusilla)

Least Auklet

Aethia pusilla

Least Concern

Overview

The least auklet (Aethia pusilla) is a seabird and the smallest species of auk. It is the most abundant seabird in North America and one of the most abundant in the world, with a population of approximately nine million birds.

Habitat

Least auklets breed on the islands of Alaska and Siberia, with their largest colonies located on the Aleutian Islands, St. Lawrence Island, and Little Diomede Island. During the winter, they spend their time close to the edge of the ice sheet.

Diet

They feed predominantly on calanoid copepods, particularly of the genus Neocalanus, as well as euphausiids, pteropods, and other zooplankton. As pursuit divers, they use their wings to provide thrust and 'fly' underwater to hunt in stratified waters where prey is tightly clumped together. These voracious predators consume up to 86% of their body weight daily.

Did you know?

Unlike many auks that carry fish crosswise in their bills, least auklet chicks are fed copepods and other zooplankton from a sublingual pouch. Chicks can dive to hunt for themselves immediately after leaving the nest, receiving no further parental care once they fledge.

Sources