The
Least Auklet is a small bird (hence the name) that grows
to a height of about six inches. It changes its colors
with the seasons, with it having lighter colors in the
summer and darker colors in the winter. The Least Auklet
loves rocky coasts and the open ocean where it survives
on a diet of shallow diving fish. Suring the warmer months
the Least Auklet breeds on the Aleutians and islands of
Bering Sea. When the weather gets cold it winters offshore
near breeding range. It loves to nest with others of its
species, knowing instinctively that there is safety in
numbers. Birds will lay their eggs in small crevice in
the rock, hopefully in a spot that is safe from predators.
Least Auklets not only return to a nesting area year after
year, but they have also been seen using the very same
nest year after year. Auklets leave their Arctic breeding
islands before the sea freezes and return in June when
the slopes are still snow-clad. |
