Dovekie "Little Auk" - Ross Feldner

This tiny seabird is half the size of the Atlantic Puffin. It measures about 7-8 inches in length and has short wings it uses to swim underwater.

Dovekies feed almost exclusively on copepods, a type of small crustacean found in nearly every fresh or salt water habitat. Feeding close to the shoreline, they eat roughly 60,000 of these every day!

Dovekies breed in vast colonies numbering in the millions, nesting in crevices or under large rocks where they lay a single egg. They come to land only to nest. Fledgling Dovekies leave the nest after about a month and head to sea usually with the male parent. They will become fully independent in their second month.

While most diving birds use their feet to swim, the Dovekie uses its small, stiff wings for propulsion “flying” down to depths of 100 feet.

Dovekies are very vulnerable to oil spills and pesticide buildup in their body fat. Like all seabirds, plastic pollution poses a choking hazard.