Guillemots

Birds of North America

Cepphus

Lives, Habitats & Pictures of the Guillemots

There are two types of guillemots in North America. The Black Guillemot is the more common of the two species, which can be found on the northern coast of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The Pigeon Guillemot lives along the northern coast lines of the Pacific Ocean only.

These two types of birds belong to the auk family, looking very similar to each other, except for a dark coloured wedge partially dividing the white patch on the wings of the Pigeon Guillemot, instead of an unhindered solid oval white patch on the wings of the Black Guillemot. Both these birds change from their black breeding plumage to a mostly white non-breeding plumage from mid-October into the mid-winter months.

Click on the bird names listed below to see pictures of Guillemots