The black guillemot is a medium-sized seabird. It is 11.8-12.6 inches (30-32 cm) in length with a wingspan of 20.5-22.8 inches (52.1-57.9 cm).
It has a thin, straight bill and bright red feet. The black guillemot has a different color pattern depending on the season.
In the summer, it is all black with large white patches on its wings. In the winter, it is almost all white with black splotches.
In the summer, the black guillemot nests in crevices on rocky shores. During this time, it stays close to shore, feeding in shallow water.
In the winter, some birds move north and stay close to the pack ice surrounding the Arctic Circle. Others travel farther south towards New England.
The black guillemot swims with its wings, diving deeply to capture its prey. It eats many types of fish, which it holds horizontally in its bill.
The black guillemot also eats mollusks, jellyfish, crustaceans, sponges, crabs, and barnacles.
Some scientists have found that the black guillemot feeds more in the morning and evening and less during midday.
Breeding in small groups, the black guillemot lays two eggs per year. Eggs are laid between late May and mid-June. Both parents take turns incubating the eggs.
After one month of incubation, eggs hatch. Both parents feed the chicks for 30-40 days. After 40 days, chicks fledge (develop flight feathers) and leave the nest for good.
The black guillemot has a lifespan of 11 to 12 years in the wild. The oldest black guillemot on record lived to be at least 27 years old.
The black guillemot can stay underwater for two minutes and can dive to depths of 164 feet (50 m).
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The Isles of Shoals off the New Hampshire coast are the southernmost breeding site in the world for the Black Guillemot.
A circumpolar* species, the black guillemot stays near the Arctic Circle.
It is found in the Gulf of Maine and along northern coastal areas as far west as Alaska.
In the winter, it can be found as far south as Rhode Island. The black guillemot is also found on the northwest shores of Europe.
*Circumpolar ranges stretch around the polar regions.
