Whiskered Auklet

Whiskered Auklet (Aethia pygmaea) is a small dark auk with ornamental facial plumes, pale whisker-like feathers and a short orange-red bill in breeding plumage. 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 inhabits rocky coasts and offshore waters of the northern Pacific, feeds mainly on planktonic animals and nests in cracks and cavities among coastal rocks. 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).