Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata)

Description: Similar in appearance to its puffin relatives, rhinoceros auklets are small stout birds with dark feathers. As their name suggests, they have a pointed horn extending upward from the base of their bill. The rhinoceros auklet is known to be more active at night making it difficult to spot. The best time to try and catch a glimpse of this elusive bird is right at dusk in the summer when they are nesting on the rock.

Habitat: Ranging from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska to Southern California, rhinoceros auklets found along the Oregon coast year round. Although this bird is known to nest at Haystack Rock and stays relatively close to shore in non-breeding season, it is rarely sighted.

Nesting: Rhinoceros auklets nest in burrows on nearshore islands. They lay one egg and both parents incubate it for around 45 days before it hatches. The parents care for the chick for 7 to 8 weeks before the chick leaves the nest.

Diet: It is believed that rhinoceros auklets forage closer to shore than the tufted puffins. They primarily catch small fish such as sand lances, herring, and smelt, but they eat crustaceans as well.

Tide Pool Tidbits:

• Rhinoceros auklets were once thought to be a species of puffin, they were called unicorn puffins before they were reclassified as an auklet.

• A study in 2019 discovered that rhinoceros auklets’ horns appear fluorescent to animals that can see ultraviolet light, like rhinoceros auklets themselves.

• Although the scientific community does not know the exact purpose of rhinoceros auklets’ horns, it is theorized that they use it to identify each other when diving underwater.

Reference: The Cornell Lab, Audubon