Black Guillemot
Cepphus grylle
Also known as: Tystie
Habitat
Aquatic
Diet
VertFishScav
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
378 g
About This Species
A stocky black seabird with bold white wing patches and bright red legs, nesting in loose colonies on rocky coasts, cliff crevices and harbour walls around the North Atlantic. It dives from the surface to feed on small fish and invertebrates close to shore, so a calm sea near rocky shorelines or piers in spring and summer gives the best views. Its high-pitched whistling calls often give away a colony before the birds themselves are spotted.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- View nesting birds from a distance with binoculars rather than approaching cliffs or ledges, since disturbance can cause adults to abandon eggs or chicks.
- Seabirds at breeding colonies are protected under wildlife law in most range states, and disturbing an active nest can be an offence.
- Keep boats and drones well clear of colonies, particularly during the early breeding season when birds are most sensitive to disruption.
LCAvesCharadriiformesAlcidae
Seasonal Activity
579,675 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Charadriiformes
- Family
- Alcidae
Traits
- Diet
- VertFishScav
- Foraging
- Aquatic
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 378 g
Photo
(c) Christoph Moning, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Christoph Moning
CC-BY-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.