Cepphus

Taubenteisten ( Cepphus columba )

Cepphus is a genus of the family of the Auks. To this genus includes three species, one of which, the black guillemot, circumpolar occurs and, among others, Central European coasts is a regular guest bird. The two other species, the Taubenteiste and the hitherto poorly explored Brillenteiste are limited in their distribution on the Pacific Ocean.

For Gryll and Taubenteiste several subspecies are distinguished. The Brillenteiste a monotypic Art All kinds, however, is currently not endangered by the IUCN as ( least concern ) classified.

Appearance

Pigeon and black guillemot are about the same heavy birds and weigh on average between 400 and 500 grams. The Brillenteiste is slightly heavier and weighs about 650 grams. In all plumages the beak is black, upper and lower beak are almost symmetrical and have a lean, forward tapered shape. All three species have a striking coral beak affairs.

All three species in breeding plumage, a predominantly black brown to black plumage own. The bräunlichste plumage in this case has the Brillenteiste. Pigeon and black guillemot have conspicuous white wing patches, the Brillenteiste other hand, this wing patches are missing. In contrast, the Brillenteiste has white eye patch, from which the name of this type. All three species have bright red legs, feet and webbed.

In Plain dress, all three species on a more or less large proportion of whitish to pale brownish spring games. At least pronounced is this change in the Brillenteiste that also in the simplicity dress has a dark body surface. The body bottom, is light and brightened considerably is also the chin and throat. The skull, however, remains dark, so that the conspicuous eyespot is maintained, even if this is not so pronounced as in breeding plumage. In Gryll and Tabenteiste the white portion of the dress is much greater simplicity. For example, the head is complete and the shell mostly white.

Just fledged young birds resemble each the adult birds in their simplicity dress, but the proportion is brown in plumage pronounced.

Dissemination

The distribution of Brillenteiste is the northern west coast of the Pacific. One of the main distribution points include the Okhotsk Sea and the North West coast of Kamchatka. Breeding colonies also found on Sakhalin and the Kurile Islands, and occasionally on the west coast of the Japan Sea to the border with North Korea. In Japan, most birds breed in northern Hokkaido. Breeding colonies existed in the first half of the 20th century, on the coast of North Korea, however, the current stock is not known. The wintering areas are in the southern regions of the breeding grounds. Basically it also breeds in warmer waters than the other two species.

The black guillemot is a breeding bird on the coasts of the North Pacific, including the Bering Strait and the Arctic North America, the Arctic archipelago of Eurasia and north -west Europe to the south of Ireland and Sweden. The deposits in Europe are in Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Ireland, Norway on the island of Runde, Scotland and on smaller islands off the coast of England. In North America you meet them from Maine northward and in small numbers in Alaska. In the Pacific, the breeding areas overlap with those of Taubenteiste. Hibernation takes place in the ice-free ocean areas that are usually not far away from their breeding grounds.

The Taubenteiste breeds in small colonies on rocky islands and cliffs of the northern Pacific. The deposits extend from Kamchatka to North America and thence along the coast from Alaska to California. In winter, the Taubenteisten of Alaska to the ice-free ocean areas in the south.

Food

The food of Cepphus species consists mainly of fish and to a lesser extent from crustaceans. The acquisition of food takes place in coastal shallow waters usually. The individual dives of black guillemot are an average of 73 seconds with an average interval of 27.5 seconds between dives. The daily food needs for captive black guillemot is 80 to 240 grams fish.

Reproduction

All three species preferred breed in loose colonies. In black guillemots nest is the distance between one and twenty meters, in contrast Brillenteisten a nest comes to 100 square feet. For all three types of very large colonies are rather rare, which may be related to the Niststandort with the specific claims. When Brillenteiste most breeding colonies no more than twenty to forty couples in the Taubenteiste the colonies include a dozen to 100 pairs. Also exist in the Black Guillemot colonies usually no more than a few hundred pairs. In the Canadian Arctic, where jagged cliffs of the kind offer many suitable sites, but include individual colonies up to 10,000 pairs. All three species are cavity nesters that prefer to use rock crevices as Niststandort. Taubenteiste dig but also sometimes nests or use caves under tree roots or the abandoned burrows of other sea birds or rabbits. Among the more unusual Niststandorten the Taubenteiste include small cavities under ship system, bridges and shipwrecks. Nests have also been found in disused buildings.

The Cepphus species differ from most Alkenvögeln among others by their clutch size. Since their feeding grounds lie in the vicinity of their breeding colonies, they are capable of two nestlings raise and place according to two eggs. This is otherwise found only in the genus Synthliboramphus the case Endomychura single and double clutches are also about the same frequency. The eggs are laid directly on the ground. At the breeding birds both parents are involved. The young birds fledge after 33 to 38 days.

System

Not infrequently, the species of the genus Cepphus earlier with the guillemots (Uria ) were summarized. But they differ from these numerous morphological and other characteristics, such as a different moulting behavior and lifestyle. The morphological differences exist, for example in the form of the beak, which has a shorter Gonys and largely featherless nostrils. The barrel is compressed laterally and the foot smaller, the head feathers less plushy. The species of the genus are Cepphus little specialized when compared to other alkene. Combine diverse morphological and ethological features with the seagulls. They are the only alkene with well-developed, functional caeca.

Species

The following species belong to the genus Cepphus:

• Black Guillemot ( Cephus grylle )
• Taubenteiste ( Cephus columba )
• Brillenteiste ( Cephus carbo)

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