Family: Alcidae
Spotting auks during the summer breeding season is relatively straightforward. Their striking plumage and presence at coastal colonies make them easy to recognize. But once autumn and winter arrive, the challenge increases. Birds move far offshore, their breeding colors fade, and stormy seas often allow only fleeting glimpses. Even seasoned birdwatchers admit that some individuals defy confident identification. Still, with patience and a careful look at shape, behavior, and key markings, many species can be distinguished. Here’s a guide to the most likely candidates you’ll encounter around the coasts of the UK and Ireland.
Atlantic Puffin
Perhaps the most familiar auk is the Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica). In summer, they are unmistakable, with their vivid orange bills and comical expressions, they delight visitors to coastal colonies. But in winter, they are transformed. The colorful bill covering is shed, replaced by a duller version lacking the orange highlights. Still, the beak remains outsized, giving them a distinctive, heavy-fronted appearance. Their faces also take on a more sooty appearance, similar to that of juveniles. Practically speaking, Puffins are rarely seen during the winter months as they spend their time far out to sea.
Black Guillemot
In its summer breeding plumage, the Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle) lives up to its name. It is completely black except for white wing bars. Outside of the breeding season, they are a combination of black on their upper parts and white on their underparts.
During the winter months, they become mottled black and white. Indeed, they are the whitest of all the winter Auks. This feature, then, is usually enough for an identification. Other features to look out for are its torpedo-shaped body and slender bill, which set it apart from the other Auk in our lineup.
Whether the Black Guillemot is swimming or is in the air, keep a watch for the prominent white wing bars; they are clearly visible regardless of the season. Another id clincher for this species is the bright red legs, a feature that will become evident when we next compare it to the Common Guillemot and the Razorbill. The legs are at their brightest during the breeding season and fade to paler red during the winter months.
Common Guillemot
The Common Guillemot (Uria aalge) is a larger bird than the Black Guillemot. During the summer, the Common Guillemot is easily identified by its tuxedo-like plumage of dark brown or blackish upper-parts and a white underside.
In its winter plumage, the Common Guillemot’s dark brown head and back contrast with a mostly white face and neck, giving it a much lighter appearance than in summer. The dark upperparts and white underparts remain, but the change in the head and neck provides a key identifying feature for distinguishing it from its non-breeding season appearance. Also, keep in mind that the Common Guillemot has a slender bill. A feature that will become important when trying to distinguish between the Common Guillemot and the Razorbill.
Razorbill
During the summer breeding season, the Razorbills (Alca torda) sport a smarter black and white plumage compared to that of the Common Guillemot. Note the Razorbill has a stocky, wedge-shaped bill with a distinctive white stripe; the bill is thicker overall, and is a distinctive identification feature to look out for regardless of the season.
In winter, a Razorbill’s head and neck become mostly white, with the black plumage of its breeding season receding to its back, wings, and chest. This makes separating the Razorbill and the Guillemot a real challenge in the winter, especially if the bird you are looking at is in the distance. The plumage may give them away, as the Razorbills’ more black and white plumage is a feature that carries through into the winter.
Also note that despite being slightly smaller than the Common Guillemot, they tend to be much stockier, and this, combined with the thicker bill, gives them a more blunt, powerful profile.
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Little Auk
Our final bird is the Little Auk (Alle alle). Scarcely larger than a starling. Each winter, some arrive from the high Arctic, carried southward by icy winds. Their size alone makes them extraordinary: minute figures upon an endless ocean.
Unlike their relatives, they appear blunt and front-heavy, their tiny bills barely visible. And they have a curious way of feeding: head down, tail raised, wings trailing in the water. Seen at a distance, it is the brilliant white cheek patch that betrays their presence, standing out starkly against the dark sea.
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