page_title: Pigeon guillemot
section_title: Predators and parasites
hierarchical_section_title: Pigeon guillemot / Predators and parasites
caption_attribution_description: English: The conidiophore of the fungal organism Aspergillus fumigatus
context_page_description: The pigeon guillemot is a species of bird in the auk family, Alcidae. One of three species in the genus Cepphus, it is most closely related to the spectacled guillemot. There are five subspecies of the pigeon guillemot; all subspecies, when in breeding plumage, are dark brown with a black iridescent sheen and a distinctive wing patch broken by a brown-black wedge. Its non-breeding plumage has mottled grey and black upperparts and white underparts. The long bill is black, as are the claws. The legs, feet, and inside of the mouth are red. It closely resembles the black guillemot, which is slightly smaller and lacks the dark wing wedge present in the pigeon guillemot. Combined, the two form a superspecies.
  This seabird is found on North Pacific coastal waters, from Siberia through Alaska to California. The pigeon guillemot breeds and sometimes roosts on rocky shores, cliffs, and islands close to shallow water. In the winter, some birds move slightly south in the northern-most part of their range in response to advancing ice and migrate slightly north in the southern part of their range, generally preferring more sheltered areas.
context_section_description: Avian predation is the most common cause of egg loss in the pigeon guillemot. Species that prey on the nests include the northwestern crow, a common predator of both eggs and chicks, as well as glaucous-winged gulls, stoats and garter snakes. Raccoons are also common predators, preying on eggs, chicks, and adults. Adults are sometimes hunted by bald eagles, peregrine falcons, great horned owls and northern goshawks. In the water, they have been reported to be taken by orca and giant Pacific octopuses.
  This bird, especially its chicks, is vulnerable to Aspergillus fumigatus, a fungal disease, while in captivity. It is also vulnerable to the cestode Alcataenia campylacantha. Ticks (Ixodes uriae) and fleas (Ceratophyllus) have been recorded on chicks as well.
caption: Aspergillus fumigatus, a fungal disease that affects this bird when in captivity
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