Cepphus grylle
A sooty seabird with brilliant white wing patches and scarlet feet.
Size: 30-32 cm | Habitat: Sea, Marsh, Estuary & Shoreline Birds | Season: All year
Known locally in Scotland and Ireland as the tystie, the black guillemot is a small, chunky auk that, unlike its cliff-nesting relatives, favours rocky harbours, boulder shores, and low coastal cliffs, often close to towns. Breeding adults are sooty black with a bold white wing patch and coral-red legs.
All-black body with large white wing patch (both sexes) · bright red legs and feet · red inside of mouth visible when calling · pale, mottled winter plumage · usually seen singly or in small groups close to rocky shores, rarely far out to sea
Black guillemots nest in crevices among boulders, harbour walls, and low cliffs rather than on open ledges, and stay close to their breeding shores year-round instead of dispersing far out to sea in winter like other auks.
Around 86% of Britain and Ireland's black guillemots breed in Scotland, and the species moved onto the Green list in the most recent BoCC5 seabird assessment after decades on Amber, one of the few UK seabirds currently bucking the wider downward trend.
The Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle), known locally as the tystie, does things differently from its auk relatives: rather than crowding onto vertiginous cliff ledges, it nests in crevices among boulders, harbour walls, and low rocky shorelines, often close to fishing villages and towns. Its bold white wing patch and startling coral-red legs make it one of the easiest auks to identify at a glance.
Unlike Puffin, Guillemot, and Razorbill, which disperse widely out to open sea outside the breeding season, black guillemots largely stay close to home year-round, making them a reliable year-round sighting around suitable rocky coastline rather than a summer-only visitor.
Its recent move to Green-listed status is genuinely encouraging news in a UK seabird conservation picture that is otherwise mostly one of decline.
🟢 Conservation status: Green (UK Birds of Conservation Concern 5)
Green-listed as of the most recent BoCC5 seabird assessment, having moved from Amber — one of the few UK seabirds currently showing a positive population trend.