Crested Auklet

Crested Auklet (Aethia cristatella) is a small dark auk with an upright forehead crest, white facial plumes and orange bill. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It dives for krill and other plankton and nests in vast rocky colonies, where adults advertise with a citrus-like scent. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).