Cepphus columba
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba) is a species of bird in the auk family, Alcidae. One of three species in the genus Cepphus, it is most closely related to the spectacled guillemot. There are five subspecies of the pigeon guillemot; all subspecies, when in breeding plumage, are dark brown with a black iridescent sheen and a distinctive wing patch broken by a brown-black wedge. Its non-breeding plumage has mottled grey and black upperparts and white underparts. The long bill is black, as are the claws. The legs, feet, and inside of the mouth are red. It closely resembles the black guillemot, which is slightly smaller and lacks the dark wing wedge present in the pigeon guillemot.
This seabird is found on North Pacific coastal waters, from Siberia through Alaska to California. The pigeon guillemot breeds and sometimes roosts on rocky shores, cliffs, and islands close to shallow water. In the winter, some birds move slightly south in the northernmost part of their range in response to advancing ice and migrate slightly north in the southern part of their range, generally preferring more sheltered areas.
This species feeds on small fish and marine invertebrates, mostly near the sea floor, that it catches by pursuit diving. Pigeon guillemots are monogamous breeders, nesting in small colonies close to the shore. They defend small territories around a nesting cavity, in which they lay one or two eggs. Both parents incubate the eggs and feed the chicks. After leaving the nest the young bird is completely independent of its parents. Several birds and other animals prey on the eggs and chicks.
The pigeon guillemot is considered to be a least concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to its large, stable population and wide range. Threats to this bird include climate change, introduced mammalian predators, and oil spills. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenai Fjords National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Katmai National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon Coast Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Georgia Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Aquarium of the Pacific | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Alaska SeaLife Center | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Hatfield Visitors Center | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Montreal Biodome | 🇨🇦 Canada |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pigeon Guillemot sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 1,548 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 181st most-seen of the 375 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pigeon Guillemot in San Francisco on a given day, against under 5% in August to June, the lowest months. That is one of San Francisco's driest months, with almost no rain against 110 mm in December.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pigeon Guillemot sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Pigeon Guillemot sightings, San Francisco ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Seattle (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pigeon Guillemot is recorded against all the birds logged in San Francisco (1,548 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
