Dead Crested Auklet (Aethia cristatella)

Observation: This bird was found at our local airport about a mile away from any ocean on either side & by itself. There were no other birds nearby. It didn't appear to be killed by another predator. I have not seen a bird like this, but apparently they are pretty common in the area & Pribilof Islands. I haven't seen any other dead birds around, so far. I did some comparison research to find the species of this bird and I found out it's a Crested Auklet (Aethia cristatella). I was wonder where in the lifecycle (juvenile or mature) of the auklet was when it died?

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Consult: Dr. Kathy Kuletz writes, "It is unusual to see a crested auklet inland, and given it was the same day as the auklet found in Nelson Lagoon, its possible there was a storm effect that blew some birds off course. Because these were only single birds at each location, I don't think its a concern in terms of a seabird die off. Based on the pictures of the bird from 12/28/16 (not sure which location), this was an adult in winter plumage (note the long crest feathers on its head). If it was kept frozen, it may be worth sending to the National Wildlife Health Lab for necropsy and testing."

LEO says: About 80 miles northeast of King Cove on the Bering Sea side of the Alaska Peninsula lies the community of Nelson Lagoon. An 'Unusual Crested Auklet' observation was posted the same day as this post by Angela Johnson with the Environmental Department of the Native Village of Nelson Lagoon. Dr. Kathy Kuletz wrote in a consult, "While these auklets do not typically show up in a lagoon, this bird was within its range. They nest in the Aleutians and south to the Shumagins, as well as the Pribilof Islands and farther north. During winter these birds disperse at sea, and they have shown up in low densities (birds/km2) along both sides of the Alaska Peninsula (Figure 1.)." Dr. Julia Parrish wrote: "Crested Auklets occasionally wash ashore in the Bering and Chukchi in unusual numbers. This was the case in November 2013 on St. Lawrence Island when sentinels found 898 (!!) carcasses along ~18 km of coastline between Gambell and Savoonga. About 60% of those carcasses were Crested Auklets (Figure 2. Graph).This year we’ve heard about unusually late sighting of live Crested Auklets, as well as Tufted Puffins, off St. Lawrence and also farther south on the Pribilof Islands. On St. Paul, Crested Auklets started to wash ashore in December, and have continued on and off to the present (also see earlier LEO posts). Posts from LEO members about any sightings of beached birds (either dead, or in grave condition) are especially important across the Bering and Chukchi this year, so that we can document the timing and geographic extent of this unusual mortality event."

Resources:

World Seabird Union (WSU) – A global seabird information portal: The Seabird Information Network is a network of databases from contributors all over the world. Please click here to visit the Seabird Information Network. The World Seabird Union's mission is to place seabird research, management, and conservation into a worldwide perspective. Our vision is to aid in creating global partnerships that will continue into the future by sharing research, knowledge, and ideas on a global level.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service – Crested Auklets (Aethia cristatella), "are found in the Bering Sea, on the Aleutian Islands, and on the Shumagin Islands. A total of 43 colony sites are known with notable centers of breeding abundance in the northern Bering Sea and the western Aleutian Islands. Virtually all colonies are on volcanic islands adjacent to deep water or where deep oceanic water, filled with energy-rich crustaceans, is transported past the colonies." Source: Migratory Bird Management, Alaska Region (Alaska, 2006)

National Audubon Society – Crested Auklet (Aethia cristatella), "Open sea; nests in colonies on sea cliffs. Often over deep water far from land, but may forage near shore where there is turbulence caused by upwellings, tide rips, or tidal flow in passes between islands. Nests on rocky islands among boulders, talus slopes, lava flows, cliffs with many openings and crevices."

eBird – Provides reports of locations where the species has been observed, submitted by citizen scientists worldwide. Source: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology & The Audubon Society