Common guillemot
Scientific name: Uria aalge
- How weight is recorded: Whole weight
Field notes
Appearance
Dark chocolate-brown to black upperparts with white underparts and a distinctive white eye-ring; some birds show a narrow white cheek stripe. Size and plumage are similar between sexes, though males average slightly larger.
Size and weight
Adults weigh 900–1100 g (males typically 1000–1100 g, females 900–1000 g) and measure 38–41 cm in body length.
Habitat
Common guillemots inhabit rocky sea cliffs and offshore islands in cool temperate and subarctic waters. They are strictly marine and coastal, nesting on narrow cliff ledges and rocky outcrops adjacent to productive fishing grounds.
Distribution
Found across the North Atlantic, North Pacific, and Arctic waters from Greenland to northern Europe and from Alaska to Japan. Prefer temperate to subarctic waters between roughly 40°N and 75°N latitude.
Diet
Primarily small fish including sandeels, capelin, herring, and sprats, with diet varying seasonally and regionally based on local prey availability.
Behaviour
Highly gregarious, breeding in dense colonies on cliff faces and spending winters at sea in mixed flocks. Active diurnally; spend much of the day foraging in nearshore and offshore waters, returning to roosts and breeding cliffs in evening.
Hunting tips
Approach from inland, moving carefully along cliff-top vegetation to avoid silhouetting against sky. Glass steep cliff faces methodically early morning and late afternoon when birds are most active at nest sites. Move slowly and use terrain folds to mask approach; approach from upwind as birds are alert to vibration and disturbance on cliff edges.
Whole weight
This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.
Where it is hunted
Listed as huntable in 1 country in Huntify.
Names in other languages
Current language: en
These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.