The Black Guillemot

Last week, we told you all about Guillemot Appreciation Day and how our Seal team celebrated it. But what exactly is a guillemot, you ask?

In the same family as puffins, the Black Guillemot is a medium-sized alcid which breeds along the coasts of Canada and Greenland. During the summer, its black plumage with white wing patches and scarlet legs and feet distinguish it from other similarly-ranged seabirds, such as razorbills.

With a fish diet, guillemots can stay underwater for up to 2 minutes and 20 seconds. They will swallow small prey whole while underwater, bringing larger prey to the surface. Guillemots breed colonially, with different densities at different breeding sites; the southernmost colonies are smaller, likely due to the wider distribution of prey. The world population is estimated at between 250,000 and 500,000 pairs.

Guillemots often lay their eggs directly on rock, with no nest material at all — and if a nest exists, it may consist of shells, pebbles, seaweed and bones. Their eggs are marked with black spots and blotches. Guilly chicks are covered in a fine, black down that looks almost like fur.

Unlike other alcids, guillemots take prey from shallow water or the sea floor; unfortunately, this makes them more susceptible to ingestion and biomagnification of marine pollution.