Characteristics
The parakeet auklet is a small, chubby seabird about nine to ten inches tall. It has dark black feathers on its head and back, a white throat and chest, and a white plume behind its yellow eyes. It has a distinctive bright red bill. In summer, its eye plume may disappear. Males and females look the same.
Range
In North America, the parakeet auklet lives and breeds on islands and cliffs off the coast of Alaska. It winters in the waters off the coast of Alaska.
Habitat
The parakeet auklet nests on island coasts and cliffs.
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Diet
The parakeet auklet dives for krill. Sometimes it eats small fish.
Life Cycle
The female parakeet auklet usually lays just one egg in a cliff crevice or among boulders. The egg hatches in a little over a month. The chick will fledge in just a little over a month.
Behavior
Unlike other auklets, the parakeet auklet doesn't nest in large colonies. One parakeet auklet will sit on a cliff ledge near its nest and watch for danger, while the other auklet incubates the egg or tends to the chick.
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