Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba)
Pigeon Guillemot

Pigeon Guillemot

Cepphus columba

The Pigeon Guillemot, Cepphus columba, is a medium-sized seabird of the auk family, Alcidae. Exhibiting sexual monomorphism, both sexes share a similar appearance, with a length of 30 to 37 cm and a weight of 450 to 550 grams. In breeding plumage, adults are cloaked in dark brown feathers with a black iridescent sheen, punctuated by a distinctive white wing patch marred by a brown-black wedge. Come winter, they don a mottled grey and black upperparts with white underparts. Their long bill, claws, and the inside of their mouth are a striking black, while their legs, feet, and mouth interior are a vivid red.

Identification Tips

To identify the Pigeon Guillemot, look for its red legs and feet, and the black bill during the breeding season. The white wing patch with a dark wedge is a key feature, as is the bird's upright posture and ability to walk well on land. Juveniles resemble winter adults but have brown-tipped underpart feathers and a smaller wing patch.

Habitat

These birds are found on rocky shores, cliffs, and islands in close proximity to shallow waters, where they breed and sometimes roost. They prefer areas that offer protection from predators and are more commonly found on offshore islands than on coastal sea cliffs.

Distribution

The Pigeon Guillemot's range spans the North Pacific coastal waters, from Siberia through Alaska to California. In winter, some birds migrate slightly south or north, depending on their location, generally seeking more sheltered areas.

Behaviour

Pigeon Guillemots are diurnal, often sleeping in loose groups on sheltered waters or shores. They exhibit strong swimming capabilities on the surface and are adept divers, using both wings and feet for propulsion underwater.

Song & Calls

This species is quite vocal, especially during the breeding season. Calls include the hunch-whistle, trill, and low whistle, which serve various purposes from territory defense to mate attraction. The red coloration of the mouth may also play a role in communication.

Breeding

Monogamous breeders, Pigeon Guillemots nest in small colonies, defending territories around their nesting cavities. They lay one or two eggs, which both parents incubate and later feed the chicks. After fledging, the young are independent.

Similar Species

The Pigeon Guillemot can be confused with the Black Guillemot but is distinguished by its larger size and the dark wedge on its wing patch during the breeding season.

Diet and Feeding

Their diet consists of small fish and marine invertebrates, which they catch by pursuit diving near the sea floor. They forage alone or in small groups, often close to shore and within a kilometer of their colony during the breeding season.

Conservation status

The Pigeon Guillemot is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. Its population is large and stable, with an estimated 470,000 individuals across a vast range. However, they face threats from climate change, introduced predators, and oil spills.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Pigeon Guillemot Fun Facts

Did you know?
Male Pigeon Guillemots court females by marching in circles around them, showing off their bright red feet.

Pigeon Guillemots on Birda

Sightings

More Auks

A photo of a Crested Auklet (Aethia cristatella)

Crested Auklet

Aethia cristatella
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
SW H
Wonderful App
Birda is my go to app for keeping records of my bird sightings and sessions. It has fantastic information which is great at aiding identification. With all the updates that are coming in the new year, this app is something special.
Talli A
My favourite app
As a young birdwatcher who was always keen to be apart of a community but never seemed to find one, my problem was solved downloading this!!! Everyone is so friendly and just as excited to see birds as me 😁
Leonie
We've been waiting for an App like this
Excellent! We've been waiting for an app like this! Thank you! It would be nice if you could assign additional birds to sessions later!
Safira V
Birding and wellbeing app
Birda is an excellent platform to share your love of Birding and is a great tool of encouragement for a Birding Beginner like me. Birda has a very kind and supportive community of Birding enthusiasts. For me BIRDA is not only a BIRDING but also a WELLBEING App.
Paul F
Very good database
Highly recommend. It great that this app shows you male Vs female variations when posting. Very good database I'm really impressed.
Carl B
Helped me to identify more birds
Love this app and has helped me to identify more birds. The challenges and badges are great for keeping the motivation going to get out and keep birding.
D3Nature
Great app for learning Birds
I’ve been using the app for a couple of months and love it....Someone said it’s like a real life Pokémon Go for birds. They’re not far off! It’s something that the family can do that gets you out and about. Well worth downloading no matter your age.
Birdafan
Ideal Birdwatch Companion
Simply adds to the enjoyment of my birdwatching and helps me record what I’ve seen.
JCBirding
Just what birding needs
We need more fun in birding, for years it has had a reputation for being up tight and stuffy and only perused by retirees and anoraks. Birda helps change that perception and firmly brings birding into the 21st century! Fun, interactive while still contributing to science and conservation. If you aren’t on it, why not??
Jane N
A great app
Enjoying it immensely and finding it useful too. Recording the different birds and counting them is showing me how the present climate is affecting them all. I've trebled the numbers by planting native hedging. A great app.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.