Pigeon Guillemot

Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba) is a black breeding auk with large white wing patches, red feet and a slender dark 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 close to rocky North Pacific shores for fish and bottom animals and nests in crevices or burrows. 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).