Color Key to North American Birds / with bibliographical appendix

by Frank M. Chapman

Auks, Murres and Puffins

12. Tufted Puffin (Lunda cirrhata). L. 15. Ads., summer. Cheeks white; a pair of long straw color plumes from behind eyes; rest of plumage sooty. Winter. Cheeks sooty, plumes usually absent. Yng. Similar to winter adult, but breast and belly whitish. Range.—Northern Pacific; resident locally from Santa Barbara Islands north to Alaska. Accidental in Maine. 13. Puffin (Fratercula arctica). L. 13; W. 6; B. 1.8. Ads. Above, and foreneck blackish; cheeks and under parts white; bill in summer touched with bright red. Notes. A hoarse croak. Range.—North Atlantic; breeds from Bay of Fundy north to Greenland; winters south to Long Island. 13a. Large-billed Puffin (F. a. glacialis). W. 7; B. 2.1. Similar to [No. 13], but larger. Range.—Arctic Ocean from Spitzenbergen to northern Greenland. 14. Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata). Similar to [No. 13], but in summer with the throat blackish. Notes. "A hoarse snuffling, rattling note" (Nelson.) Range.—"Northern Pacific from Kuril Islands to British Columbia." (A. O. U.) 15. Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata). L. 15.5. Ads., summer. A horn on base of bill; two pairs of white tufts; above blackish; throat and breast grayish; belly white. Winter. Similar, but no horn. Yng. Similar to winter ad. but no tufts. Range.—"North Pacific: breeding south (formerly) to the Farallones; in winter south to Lower California and Japan." (A. O. U.)

16. Cassin Auklet. (Ptycoramphus aleuticus). L. 9. Ads. A white spot above eye; above blackish; throat and breast grayish; belly white. Notes. A shrill, squealing "Come bear-r-r, come bear-r-r." Range.—"Pacific Coast of North America from Aleutian Islands to Lower California; breeding south to San Geronimo Island (Lat. 30°)." (A. O. U.) 23. Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus). L. 9.7. Ads., summer. No crest; above dark brown, finely mixed with rusty; below white, all feathers edged with brown. Winter. Wholly different; above gray; head dark; below white; a nearly complete white nuchal collar. Yng. Similar to winter ad. but blacker above; sprinkled with blackish below. Range.—North Pacific; breeds from Vancouver north to Aleutian Islands; winters south to southern California. 24. Kittlitz Murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris). L. 9.5; B., from feathers on top, .4. Ads., summer. Above gray, mottled with buff; breast and sides mottled with buff and black; belly white. Winter. Sides of head, to above eye, and lower parts white; above gray; outer tail-feathers white. Range.—Northern Japan, Kamchatka and Aleutian Islands, east to Unalaska. (A. O. U.) 25. Xantus Murrelet (Brachyramphus hypoleucus). L. 10. Bill slender. Ads. Above slaty black; under surface of wing white; inner webs of outer primaries white. Range.—Pacific Coast from Monterey south to Cape St. Lucas; breeding as far north as Santa Barbara Island. 26. Craveri Murrelet (Brachyramphus craveri). L. 10. Bill slender. Ads. Above slaty or brownish black; sides slaty; under surface of wings dusky, sometimes mixed with white. Range,—Coasts of Lower California, from Cape St. Lucas north to Espiritu Santo Island in the Gulf of California, and to Natividad Island (lat. 28°) on the Pacific side. (A. O. U.) 34. Dovekie (Alle alle). L. 8. Ads., summer. Above blackish; inner wing feathers tipped with white; throat and breast blackish brown. Winter. Similar, but throat and breast white or mixed grayish. Range—North Atlantic and East Arctic; in America breeds from Lat. 68° northward; winters south to Long Island, rarely to Virginia. Accidental in Michigan.

17. Paroquet Auklet (Cyclorrhynchus psittaculus). L. 10. Ads., summer. No crest; a white plume from behind eye; above blackish; throat grayer, rest of under parts white. Winter. Throat white. Notes. "A low, sonorous, vibrating whistle." (Nelson.) Range.—"North Pacific, from Sitka and the Kuril Islands northward." (A. O. U.) Five records for coast off San Francisco in winter. 18. Crested Auklet (Simorhynchus cristatellus). L. 10. Ads., summer. Bill red; a crest of slender recurved feathers; a pair of white tufts from behind eye; above sooty black; below grayer. Yng. Similar but bill brown; no crest or tufts. Notes. "A chirping note," (Nelson.) Range.—North Pacific from Kadiak and Japan northward." (A. O. U.) 19. Whiskered Auklet (Simorhynchus pygmæus). L. 7.5. Ads., summer. White feathers at base of sides of bill and, much lengthened, from above and below eye; a crest of slender recurved feathers; above, and throat dark slate fading into white belly. Yng. Similar but no crest; little or no white on head. Notes. "A low chattering note." (Nelson.) Range—"North Pacific, from Unalaska through the Aleutian chain to Kamchatka." (A. O. U.) 20. Least Auklet (Simorhynchus pusillus). L. 6.5. Ads., summer. No crest; sides of head with white feathers; above blackish; chin sooty; throat white; under parts white, marked irregularly with sooty. Winter. Little or no sooty on breast. Yng. Similar to winter ad., but no white plumes. Range.—"North Pacific, from Sitka and Japan north to Bering Strait." (A. O. U.) 21. Ancient Murrelet (Synthliboramphus antiquus). L. 10.5. Ads., summer. No crest; head and throat black; broad white stripes behind eye; back gray; breast and belly white. Winter. Similar but throat white; no white head stripes. Notes. "A low plaintive whistle." (Nelson.) Range.—North Pacific, from southern Vancouver Island and Japan northward; south in winter to Monterey, California; accidental in Wisconsin.

27. Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle). L. 13. Ads., summer. Black; greater wing-coverts white, black at base; under surface of wings white. Winter. Above gray or black tipped with white; below white. Range.—Coasts of northern Europe and North Atlantic; in America breeds from Knox Co., Maine north to southern Greenland; winters south to Quebec and Massachusetts; rarely to Toronto, Connecticut, and Long Island. 28. Mandt Guillemot (Cepphus mandtii). Similar to No. 27, but bases of greater wing-coverts white. Range.—Arctic regions; breeds from Labrador and Hudson Bay north to northern Greenland and northern Alaska; in winter migrates but little southward; no satisfactory United States record. 29. Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba). Similar to No. 27, but inner surface of wings sooty gray. Notes. A squealing, vibrant whistle. Range.—North Pacific; breeds from Santa Catalina Island north to Bering Strait, west through Aleutian Islands to Kamchatka and northern Japan; winters in same region. 30. Murre (Uria troile). L. 16; B. 1.7. Ads., summer. Above and neck sooty brown; under parts and tips of secondaries white; sides with blackish streaks. Winter. Similar, but throat white washed with sooty. Notes. A hoarse murre and squawking a-r-r-r-r-r-rh. Range.—North Atlantic; breeds in North America from Bird Rock, Magdalen Islands, north to southern Greenland; winters south to Maine and, rarely, Ontario. 30a. California Murre (U. t. californica). Similar to No. 30 but larger, W. 8.2; B. 1.9. Range.—North Pacific; breeds from Pribilof Islands south to Farallones; winters south to southern California. 31. Brunnich Murre (Uria lomvia). Similar to [No. 30], but bill shorter, 1.2. In summer, head and throat browner, lower mandible swollen at sides and grayish at base. Range.—North Atlantic and eastern Arctic; breeds in North America from Bird Rock, Magdalen Islands, north to Greenland; winters south to New Jersey and along St. Lawrence to Lakes Champlain and Ontario, rarely to Lake Michigan. 31a. Pallas Murre (U. l. arra). Similar to [No. 31], but larger; W. 8.6; B. 1.5. Notes. "A peculiar growling or hoarse chattering note." (Nelson.) Range.—North Pacific; south to Kadiak and Kamchatka. 32. Razor-billed Auk (Alca torda). L. 16.5. Ads., summer. Above sooty black, foreneck browner; tips of secondaries, line from bill to eye, and under parts, white. Winter. Similar, but foreneck white. Yng. Similar to winter ad. but without eye line. Notes. A hoarse grunt or groan. Range.—North Atlantic; breeds from Bird Rock, Magdalen Islands, north to Greenland; winters south to Long Island and, rarely, to Ontario and North Carolina. 33. Great Auk (Plautus impennis). L. 29; W. 5.7. Ads. Above blackish; a large white spot before the eye; secondaries tipped with white; sides of neck and the throat seal brown; belly, white. Resembling No. 32 in general appearance but body much larger; wing, however, shorter. Range.—Formerly, the coasts and islands of North Atlantic, south on American side to Florida (in winter?); now extinct.