Rhinoceros Auklet

 

Erika and I surprised a Rhinoceros Auklet at the end of a dock in Olympia on 14 November 2019—finally a half-decent photo of this odd bird. I have previously written that auklets are related to shorebirds and gulls and not to penguins, which they superficially resemble. Although they are adept divers like penguins, but auklets are also excellent fliers. Rhinoceros Auklets are found on both sides of the North Pacific. Most North American birds breed on islands in British Columbia, nearby Washington, and southeastern Alaska. These birds winter along the Pacific coast from Southwestern British Columbia to almost the tip of Baja California.