auklet

auklet
/awk"lit/, n.
any of several small auks of the coasts of the North Pacific, as Aethia cristatella (crested auklet), having a crest of recurved plumes.
[1885-90; AUK + -LET]

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▪ bird
also called  Sea Sparrow,  
 any of six species of small seabirds of the family Alcidae (order Charadriiformes). They breed primarily in the Bering Sea and the North Pacific; some winter as far south as Japan and Mexico. Auklets in breeding plumage differ from the related murrelets in having plumes and other head ornaments, including brightly coloured bill plates like those of their relatives the puffins. They nest in crevices near the sea, laying a single egg. The young remain in the nest until fully fledged.

      The smallest member of the family is the least auklet (Aethia pusilla), about 15 cm (6 inches) long. It winters far north in rough waters. The plainest and grayest species is Cassin's auklet (Ptychoramphus aleuticus), a common resident from the Aleutians to Baja California.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • auklet — [ôk′lit] n. [ AUK + LET] any of several small kinds of auk …   English World dictionary

  • auklet — /ˈɔklət/ (say awkluht) noun any of various small seabirds found in northern Pacific waters, as the crested auklet, Aethia cristatella, and its allies. {auk + let} …  

  • auklet — noun Date: 1886 any of several small seabirds (especially genera Aethia and Ptychorhamphus) of the alcid family that occur along North Pacific coasts …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • auklet — noun /ˈɔːklət/lang=en Any of several small seabirds in the auk family. See Also: auk …   Wiktionary

  • auklet — n. small auks of the North Pacific coasts …   English contemporary dictionary

  • auklet — auk·let …   English syllables

  • auklet — auk•let [[t]ˈɔk lɪt[/t]] n. orn any of several small auks of N Pacific coasts, as Aethia cristatella, having a crest of recurved plumes • Etymology: 1885–90 …   From formal English to slang

  • auklet — noun any of several small auks of the northern Pacific coasts • Hypernyms: ↑auk …   Useful english dictionary

  • Cassin's Auklet — Taxobox name = Cassin’s Auklet status = LC | status system = IUCN3.1 image width = 250px regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Charadriiformes familia = Alcidae genus = Ptychoramphus genus authority = Brandt 1837 species = P.… …   Wikipedia

  • Rhinoceros Auklet — Adult, Japan Conservation status …   Wikipedia

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