[Length 6.25 in. Wingspan 12 in.]

The Auklets are the smallest of all the Alcid family, which includes Puffins, Murres, Guillemots, and Murrelets. The Least Auklet is the smallest of all the Auklets. It is black above and white or mottled gray below, with a dark orange bill. Its small size distinguishes it from all other seabirds. Parakeet Auklets breed on the islands of the Bering Sea, where they nest and roost on cliff faces. They often occur in large flocks which sometimes seem to "explode" from the cliff faces where they breed and roost. In winter they disperse and spend most of their time at sea. These Least Auklets were photographed on St. Paul Island in the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 64 film. (Date: June 1984)

[Length 6.25 in. Wingspan 12 in.]

This Least Auklet was photographed on St. Paul Island in the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 64 film. (Date: June 1984)

[Length 10 in. Wingspan 18 in.]

The Auklets are the smallest of all the Alcid family, which includes Puffins, Murres, Guillemots, and Murrelets. The Parakeet Auklet is black above and white below, with an orange bill, and a white feather plume the protrudes from the rear of the eye. The similar Crested and Whiskered Auklets are dark below. Parakeet Auklets breed on the islands and rocky coasts of the Bering Sea, where they nest and roost on cliff faces. In winter they disperse and spend most of their time at sea. This Parakeet Auklet was photographed on St. Paul Island in the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 64 film. (Date: June 1984)

[Length 10 in. Wingspan 18 in.]

These Parakeet Auklets were photographed on St. Paul Island in the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 64 film. (Date: June 1984)

[Length 18 in. Wingspan 31 in.]

This American Avocet was photographed at Cheyenne Bottoms, Kansas, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF-S VR f2.8 lens + Nikkor TC14E II 1.4x Teleconverter (EFL=630mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: May 4, 2007)

[Length 18 in. Wingspan 31 in.]

American Avocets are common breeding birds in freshwater marshes and shallow lakes of the western prairies and surrounding foothills of North America from Washington and Manitoba to California and Texas. They also breed along the eastern US coast in saltwater and brackish marshes from Virginia to Florida. Avocets feed by sweeping their long, upturned bills back and forth through the water as they march along, snapping up whatever food they encounter. This stunning bird, in full breeding plumage, was photographed on its breeding grounds in northern Colorado, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm ED f4.5 lens on Kodachrome 200 film. (Date: May 1992)

[Length 18 in. Wingspan 31 in.]

This American Avocet, in dull winter plumage, was photographed at Brigantine NWR in New Jersey, USA. Photo taken with a Soligor 300mm f5.6 lens on Ektachrome 200 film. (Date: November 1977)

[Length 18 in. Wingspan 31 in.]

This American Avocet was photographed at Bolivar Peninsula, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF-S VR f2.8 lens + Nikkor TC20E II 2.0x Teleconverter (EFL=900mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: April 23, 2007)

[Length 18 in. Wingspan 31 in.]

This winter plumaged American Avocet was photographed at Shafter Lake, Andrews, Texas, USA. Photo taken with a Nikkor 300mm EDAF-S VR f2.8 lens + Nikkor TC14E II 1.4x Teleconverter (EFL=630mm) on a Nikon D200 camera. (Date: October 27, 2008)