Black guillemot

Cepphus grylie   




To see this species in the wild, click here.


What to look out for
A distinctive medium sized auk, the only one with striking black plumage. This little bird has white shoulder patches and bright red legs and feet during the spring and summer. Unusually for the guillemots, 'black' pairs prefer to nest alone or in very low densities, in crevices and amongst rocks. In winter it is the only auk with plumage of white barred wings.  
 
When to see it
The black guillemot is most visible in the summer months nesting on small islands and rocky seashores, once young are being fed.  


Where to see it
A bird of Scotland’s West Coast, found along rocky sea lochs, offshore islets, but also along the rocky shores in the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland.

Things to think about
'Blacks' sometimes take advantage of manmade nesting opportunities: it has been seen using road drain culverts as nest sites in sea walls in Oban.

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