Rhinoceros Auklet

Cerorhinca monocerata

This is a very rare spring and summer visitor that has been found annually in recent years, though typically only on sporadic dates throughout the spring and summer period. It has been found most commonly as an arrival in late May or early June and there are occasional sightings into the summer period with most involving holdovers from the spring, with only a handful of the summer and fall records actually pertaining to new, or presumed new, arrivals at those periods. The first record of this species was not until 1993 in the Pribilofs, with this species appearing most regularly from 2002-2005. Nesting has been suspected on St. Paul Island due to the presence of over-summering birds and in several cases multiple individuals have been involved, but no direct evidence has been found of nesting activity.

Photo by Sam Woods
Photo by Sulli Gibson
Rhinoceros Auklet (left) with Parakeet Auklets by Marshall Iliff