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A white wave shape.

Rhinoceros auklet

The misnamed bird

Rhinoceros auklets are actually not members of the taxonomic group of birds known as auklets—rather, they are closely related to puffins. They’re found on the open sea and coastlines of the northern Pacific Ocean, from Baja California to the Aleutian Islands in North America and in small areas of Japan, North Korea and Russia.

At the Aquarium

And baby makes three

Female rhinoceros auklets lay a single egg, which is then cared for by both parents for the approximately 45-day incubation period. Parents take turn delivering fish to their chick after it hatches; these deliveries take place primarily at night, a behavior that is believed to be an adaptation to keep gulls and other birds from stealing the chick’s meal. As night falls, adult rhinoceros auklets can sometimes be seen bobbing in the water with bills full of fish, waiting until it’s dark to return to the nest and feed their chicks. Chicks are cared for by their parents until they’re about 7 weeks old.

Help care for rhinoceros auklets

While rhinoceros auklets are a designated as a Species of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), their populations are declining and they are still vulnerable to human-caused hazards such as oil spills and pollution. When you care for our marine environment, you’re also caring for rhinoceros auklets—in the northern Pacific Ocean, and even along the shorelines of Puget Sound!

Quick facts

Rhinoceros auklets have a protruding white “horn” during breeding season!

These birds can dive up to 180 feet below the water’s surface.

Parents deliver food to their chicks at night to avoid predators.

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