Auks and their allies (auklets, guillemots, razorbills, puffins) are superficially similar to penguins due to their black-and-white colours, their upright posture and some of their habits. Nevertheless they are not closely related to penguins. Their closest living relatives appear to be the skuas, Auks have to a large extent sacrificed flight, and also mobility on land, in exchange for swimming; their wings are a compromise between the best possible design for diving and the bare minimum needed for flying. The auks are restricted to cooler northern waters. Their ability to spread further south is restricted by their prey hunting method, pursuit diving. This becomes less efficient in warmer waters. The speed at which small fish can swim doubles as the temperature increases from 5°C to 15°C, with no corresponding increase in speed for the bird. Auks live on the open sea and only go ashore for breeding. They vary from 15-45 cm. [abstracted from Wikipedia]


Genus Aethia

Auklet, Crested  Aethia cristatella  Found: North America
Photographed by Alan D Wilson - Zapadni Cliffs, St. Paul Island, Alaska


Auklet, Least  Aethia pusilla  Found: North America
Photographed by Alan D Wilson - Zapadni Breakwater, St. Paul Island, Alaska


Auklet, Parakeet  Aethia psittacula  Found: North America
Photographed by Alan D Wilson - St. Paul Island, Alaska



Genus Cerorhinca - 1 species

Auklet, Rhinoceros  Cerorhinca monocerata  Found: North America, Asia
Photographed by: 1, 2, 3, 4) Dick Daniels at Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward



Genus Alle

Auk, Little aka Dovekie  Alle Alle  Found: Artic region including North America
Photographed by: 1) MPF  2) Ttphoto   3) Alastair Rae



Genus Cepphus

Guillemot, Black Cepphus grylle   Found: North America (East coast, down to Maine), NW coast of Europe
Photographed by:  1, 2) Dick Daniels - Scotland   3) Dick - Maine
3) Juvenile


Guillemot, Pigeon   Cepphus columba Found: North America, Asia
Photographed by:  1, 2, 6) Dick Daniels - Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward  3, 4) Dick - - Kachemak Bay, Alaska
   5) Alan Vernon  7) D Gordon Robertson  8) Schlawe of the US Fish and Wildlife Service



Guillemot,Spectacled  aka Sooty Guillemot  Cepphus carbo Found: Asia
Photographed by Eliezg on Yamsky Island in the Sea of Okhotsk, Russia



Genus Uria

Guillemot, Common aka Guillemot aka Common Murre Uria aalge   Found: north parts of North America, Europe
Photographed by: 1, 2) Dick Daniels - Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward  3) Dick - Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska
    4, 5, 6, 7) Dick - Scotland
 2) First year  4) Brindled variant  



Murre, Thick-billed aka Brunnich's Guillemot  Uria lomvia  Found: North America, Asia, Africa
Photographed by: 1) Alan D Wilson - Zapadni Cliffs, St. Paul Island, Alaska
    2) Michael Haferkamp - Barentsea, Svalbard  3) US Geoligical Survey  4) Jcwf



Genus Fratercula

Puffin, Atlantic Fratercula arctica   Found: North Atlantic regions of North America and Great Britain
Photographed by:  1) Erik Christensen - Mykines, Faroe Islands  2) Matthias Meckel - Farne Islands, England
   3) Steve Garvie  4, 5, 6) Dick Daniels in Scotland



Puffin, Horned Fratercula corniculata   Found: Northwest coasts of North America, northeast coast of Asia
Photographed by: 1, 2, 3, 4) Dick Daniels - Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward 
     5) Vernon Byrd, US Fish and Wildlife Service  6, 8) ) Alan D Wilson  at St. Paul Island, Alaska  
     7) Dick - Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska
1, 2) Juvenile  3) Nonbreeding 4 - 8) Breeding



Puffin, Tufted Fratercula cirrhata   Found: Northwest coasts of North America, northeast coast of Asia
Photographed by:  1, 3) Dick Daniels - Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska  2) Dick - Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward
    4, 6, 7) Alan D Wilson - St. Paul Island in Alaska  5) Mike Boylan, US Fish and Wildlife Service




Genus Alca  - 1 species

Razorbill Alca torda   Found: North Atantic coasts, including those of North America
Photographed by:  1 - 5_ Dick Daniels - Great Britain 
Aalso present in the Carolinas.