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Friday, August 20, 2010

Birds of St Paul: Least Auklet

The Least Auklet (Aethia pusilla) had me laughing almost constantly. They are tiny, twitchy, pushy, very vocal and they love to eat! In fact, they consume up to 86% of their body weight a day and never get fat. They are monogamous even though they nest in colonies. The least auklet will return to it's nesting site, remembering the exact location even if it's still covered in snow. Luck for the egg, mom and dad wait for the snow to melt before they actually lay their egg. They don't use nesting materials, any crevice will suffice so it's important for both parents to survive to keep the chick warm between feedings.

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