rhinoceros auklet

rhinoceros auklet
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Name	Rhinoceros auklet
Status	Least Concern
Status system	IUCN3.1
Genus	Cerorhinca
Species	monocerata
Authority	(Pallas, 1769)

rhinoceros auklet is a medium-sized seabird in the alcid family found in northern Pacific waters, noted for a prominent bill casque during the breeding season and nocturnal colony attendance. It is an important predator of forage fish and squid and a prey item for marine and terrestrial predators around islands and coastal headlands. The species features in regional ecology studies by institutions such as the Canadian Wildlife Service and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and appears in surveys by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Taxonomy and nomenclature

The species is placed in the genus Cerorhinca and was first described by Peter Simon Pallas in the 18th century; molecular analyses involving mitochondrial DNA have clarified relationships with other alcids studied by researchers at the Smithsonian Institution and the American Museum of Natural History. Historical taxonomy drew comparisons with genera treated by ornithologists affiliated with the Royal Society and the British Ornithologists' Union. Fossil relatives appear in paleontological literature associated with the Natural History Museum, London and fieldwork reported by teams from the University of California, Berkeley and University of Washington.

Description

Adults are similar in body form to members of the family Alcidae examined by field guides published by the Audubon Society and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Morphological features include a compressed bill with a horny ridge, a dark plumage reminiscent of species documented by the American Ornithological Society and the British Columbia Provincial Museum. Breeding plumage and the bill casque have been photographed and measured in studies led by researchers from the University of British Columbia and the University of Alaska Fairbanks; plumage details appear in plates published by the American Museum of Natural History and the Field Museum.

Distribution and habitat

The species breeds on islands and offshore stacks off the coasts of nations and regions such as Japan, Russia, Aleutian Islands, British Columbia, and the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Nonbreeding movements extend along migratory corridors documented by tagging programs run by the Canadian Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. Preferred habitats include rocky islets and cliff ledges monitored by conservation agencies including the Nature Conservancy and local authorities like the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Oceanic foraging occurs over continental shelf waters influenced by currents studied by oceanographers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Behavior and ecology

Foraging behavior targets small pelagic fishes and cephalopods recorded in surveys by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Fisheries and Oceans Canada; prey species often overlap with fisheries managed by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. The species exhibits diving techniques compared in comparative studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Nocturnal colony attendance and vocalizations have been the subject of fieldwork by teams associated with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the British Trust for Ornithology. Predation pressures at colonies involve introduced mammals and native raptors referenced in reports by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service.

Breeding and reproduction

Colonies are monitored on islands managed by entities such as the Bureau of Land Management and the Parks Canada agency; nesting occurs in burrows, crevices, and under vegetation observed in surveys led by the Royal Ontario Museum and university field programs at the University of Victoria. Courtship, egg incubation, and chick provisioning have been described in long-term studies by researchers at the University of Washington and the University of British Columbia; many findings are incorporated into conservation action plans by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and regional wildlife departments. Chick diet and fledging success are influenced by oceanographic conditions tracked by the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory and modeled by groups at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Conservation status and threats

The species is assessed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature but faces localized threats documented in reports from the World Wildlife Fund and regional governments such as the Government of British Columbia and the State of Alaska. Threats include bycatch in commercial fisheries regulated by bodies like the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, habitat disturbance on breeding islands addressed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and invasive species control programs implemented by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Parks Canada. Conservation measures and monitoring are undertaken by NGOs such as the Nature Conservancy and academic groups at the University of British Columbia and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to track population trends and inform management under frameworks like the Convention on Migratory Species.

Category:Alcidae Category:Birds of the Pacific Ocean