The Crested Auklet (Aethia cristatella) is a small, dark auklet distinguished by forward-coiled facial crests, white eye-stripes, and a bright reddish-orange bill. It breeds in rock crevices on sea-facing cliffs of remote Bering Sea islands and winters in ice-free waters of the Gulf of Alaska and northern Japan. Known for its pungent citrus-like plumage odor and fast, direct flight, this highly social bird uses complex vocalizations and chemical cues for courtship and social interaction.
Learn to identify
Adult Crested Auklet in breeding plumage, photographed on Kiska Island, Alaska.
Learning lesson · openly licensed photographs, labelled by BirdBot; labels checked against the cited sources and approved by AI
Forward-curving crest: black feathers curl forward from the forehead. Pale eye: yellowish-white iris on a dark face. White face stripe: a single plume runs back from the eye. Thick orange-red bill: bright in breeding season; duller in winter. Crest plus orange bill on a dark auklet.
In winter the crest is shorter and the bill smaller and duller.
Sources: Audubon Guide to North American Birds: Crested Auklet · Wikipedia: Crested auklet (revision 1380660935)
Photo: F. Deines, USFWS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; labels added by BirdBot.
Crested Auklets are relatively small birds with entirely dark plumage. Their upper bodies are dark grey, while their lower bodies are usually brownish-grey. The most distinctive field mark is the pair of decorative, forward-coiled facial feathers, or crests, that distinguish them from other auklet species in their range. Both sexes possess these crests, but males typically have longer ones, particularly on the nape and neck. The crests vary in size with age and mass, appearing worn by the end of the breeding season.
Facial features include prominent white irises and a white stripe of feathers running from behind the eyes back to the ear-coverts. The bill is bright reddish-orange with a yellow tip. During the breeding season, the male's bill becomes more curved and sharp than the female's, a trait thought to aid in agonistic encounters. Brightly colored "horny" plates on the bill are shed at the end of the breeding season, making the bill appear duller and slightly smaller in winter, which complicates sex identification.
A unique and critical identification cue is the bird's scent. Crested Auklets produce a pungent, citrus-like odor from their feathers, often compared to tangerines. This odor is derived from secretions of the uropygial gland, which the birds spread through their plumage while preening. The scent plays a significant role in social communication and courtship, particularly during close-contact behaviors like rump-sniffing and neck-twisting.
Crested Auklets are one of the most abundant planktivorous sea birds in the North Pacific. Their preferred habitat is offshore and along the coasts of remote islands in the Bering Sea. Breeding colonies are situated on rocky cliffs facing the sea, where rock crevices along talus slopes, boulder fields, or lava flows provide critical nesting sites. These colonies often include other auklet species.
According to AviList v2026, the species breeds patchily along North Pacific coasts and islands, including eastern Chukotka, Sakhalin, the Kuril and Commander islands (eastern Russia), the Bering Sea Islands, and the Aleutians. In winter, they flock in the ice-free waters of the Gulf of Alaska and northern Japan, specifically offshore to Hokkaido and northern Honshu. Little information exists on the specifics of their spring and fall migration routes or precise winter range boundaries.
Crested Auklets are highly social and vocal, found in flocks year-round both at sea and in nesting colonies. They are powerful flyers with long wings specialized for fast, direct flight, capable of reaching speeds of 30 to 40 meters per second. This rapid flight creates a loud sound, especially when large flocks depart from a colony simultaneously. On land, they stand upright and move quickly, using sharp claws and a technique called wing fluttering to climb steep rocks.
Aggression is a key component of their social structure. Crested Auklets are highly aggressive toward other Aethia species, particularly Least Auklets (Aethia pusilla) and Whiskered Auklets (Aethia pygmaea), often chasing them from desired nest sites and display areas. Males defend their mates from extra-pair copulations, and fights between males involve pecking, seizing the gape or crest, and grappling with locked bills. Winners of these violent encounters are usually the individuals with the longest crests. Despite their aggression toward other auklets, Crested Auklets intentionally avoid Puffins, which occupy similar habitats.
As deep-ocean foragers, Crested Auklets often find their food far from their nesting sites. They dive underwater to catch crustaceans and other marine invertebrates, including Thysanoessa euphausiids, mysids, hyperiids, gammarids, and calanoid copepods, as well as small fish and squid. They forage in social groups, pursuing prey in a rapid, wing-propelled underwater flight. This specialized diving behavior allows them to exploit colonial euphausiids on the ocean floor.
Crested Auklets are monogamous with high site and mate fidelity. The breeding season begins around May and lasts through mid-June, with the timing influenced by snow melt. Pairs nest in rock crevices, laying a clutch size of one egg. Both parents incubate the egg and care for the precocial chick. Hatching is synchronous, with about 80% of eggs hatching within a 10-day span.
Chick rearing lasts for about a month, during which the young grow at a rate of 11 to 13 grams per day. Parents carry food in a sublingual pouch and feed the chick one to four times a day. Females take more responsibility for feeding, while males brood the young more frequently. Before fledging, young engage in "helicoptering" behavior, leaving the nest site to stretch their flight muscles. They do not fledge until they are close in body mass to adults. A few studies suggest that Crested Auklets begin breeding around three years of age.
Crested Auklets use visual, chemical, tactile, and acoustic modes of communication. They are very vocal during the breeding season and in flocks at sea, with most communication occurring during the daytime. Six forms of vocal communication have been observed:
Chicks are also vocal, producing soft peeps and loud warble-whistles throughout the day, especially when parents are away from the nest.
The Crested Auklet is listed as Least Concern (LC) in the IUCN Red List, as recorded in AviList v2026. This status reflects the species' wide range and abundance in the North Pacific. In the United States, they are not listed under the Endangered Species Act but are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Observing Crested Auklets requires patience and respect for their remote habitats. The best way to observe them is from a distance, either at sea or from rocky shores, using binoculars or a spotting scope. Look for flocks of 10 to 100 birds moving between nest sites and foraging areas. Note their fast, direct flight and the loud collective sound they create when departing a colony. If on land, observe from a safe distance to avoid disturbing nesting pairs or causing stress to the birds. The citrus-like odor can sometimes be detected in close proximity, but do not approach colonies to confirm this scent, as human presence can disrupt breeding activities. Focus on identifying the forward-coiled crests and bright bill coloration as key field marks.
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