Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 7.5–9.1 in
19–23 cm - Wingspan
- 15 in
38 cm - Weight
- 4.7–7.2 oz
134–204 g
Other Names
- Little Auk (British)
- Mergule nain (French)
- Mérgulo marino (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Dovekie breeding population at Thule in northwestern Greenland is the among largest and densest breeding aggregations of all auks. This population traditionally has been estimated as 30 million birds.
- The Dovekie sometimes shows up out of range along the east coast of North America in massive wrecks of stranded, starving birds. Sustained, strong easterly winds may make feeding conditions unsuitable and push the weakened, emaciated birds landward. The largest recorded wreck in North America, in the winter of 1932 -1933, saw Dovekies raining down on the streets of New York City and large numbers washing up along the entire eastern seaboard, from Nova Scotia to Florida.
Habitat
Ocean
Food
Insects
Marine crustaceans and small fish.
Nesting
Nest Description
Bed of pebbles in crevice amongst boulder field. Nests in large colonies.
Nest Placement
Cliff
Behavior
Surface Dive
Dives underwater to capture prey, using its wings to swim.
Conservation
Least Concern
Although numerous, the Dovekie is difficult to count. No reliable information exists about any trends in populations.
Credits
- Montevecchi, W. A., and I. J. Stenhouse. 2002. Dovekie (Alle alle). In The Birds of North America, No. 701 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.