Dovekies, also known as little auks, are small seabirds in the auk family that live in the Arctic and north Atlantic oceans. They breed in huge colonies on coastal cliffs and rocky slopes in the high Arctic during the summer months before migrating south in the winter. Read on to learn more about where dovekies live throughout the year.
Breeding Range and Colonies
Dovekies breed in the high Arctic regions of North America, Greenland, Svalbard, Scandinavia, and Russia during the summer months of June to August. Their breeding colonies are located on rocky islands, cliffsides, and slopes along coastlines that are free of land predators. Some of the major dovekie breeding colonies include:
- Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada – Up to 20 million breeding pairs
- Northwest Greenland – Around 10 million breeding pairs
- Svalbard, Norway – Up to 5 million breeding pairs
- Novaya Zemlya, Russia – Up to 4 million breeding pairs
- Franz Josef Land, Russia – Up to 1 million breeding pairs
Dovekie breeding colonies can be massive, sometimes containing millions of nesting pairs all packed densely together on cliff ledges and rocky slopes. The large size of the breeding colonies is thought to provide protection from aerial predators like jaegers, gulls, and Arctic foxes.
Nesting Habits
At their breeding colonies, dovekies nest in densely packed groups on narrow ledges of coastal cliffs, rocky slopes, and boulder scree. Their nests consist of simple scrapes or depressions in the ground lined with gravel, pebbles, bones, and feathers. Unlike other auks, dovekies do not bring nesting materials like vegetation or seaweed to line their nests.
Female dovekies usually lay a single egg per breeding season. Both parents take turns incubating the egg for around 24-28 days before it hatches. After hatching, the chick stays in the nest for another 15-25 days while both parents work to feed it multiple times a day. By late August, the chicks will fledge and leave the colonies to migrate south with the adults.
Migration and Wintering Range
After breeding, dovekies migrate south beginning in late August and continuing through November. Their wintering areas are concentrated in two main regions of the north Atlantic:
- Off the coast of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and New England in Canada and the northeastern United States
- In the northwest Atlantic off the coasts of Greenland, Iceland, Scandinavia, and the British Isles
During winter, dovekies are pelagic seabirds and spend their time foraging over the open ocean far from land. However, they usually remain over continental shelf waters less than 200 meters deep where food supplies are abundant.
Wintering at Sea
While wintering at sea, dovekies are highly social and gather in massive floating flocks numbering in the tens or hundreds of thousands of individuals. These large flocks forage together and provide safety through increased predator detection. At night, the flocks disperse and dovekies raft together in small groups sitting on the water to rest.
Throughout the winter, dovekies undergo a partial migration pattern following concentrations of plankton and small fish. As food sources shift, the flocks move northward bit by bit through the winter and spring. By May or June, most dovekies have returned back to their Arctic breeding colonies to nest again.
Habitat Preferences
Dovekies have specific habitat preferences both at their breeding colonies and while at sea:
Breeding Colonies
- Rocky islands, cliffs, slopes free of land predators
- Low Arctic locations with access to productive ocean waters nearby
- Sloping ledges, crevices, and cavities for nesting
- Boulder scree or gravel substrates
At Sea Habitat
- Sheltered bays and inlets during migration
- Continental shelf waters less than 200m deep
- Areas with upwelling providing nutrients
- Oceanic fronts between water masses
- Sea ice edges with access to open water
By living in these specific habitats, dovekies can access the food sources, nesting sites, and protection from predators that they need to thrive.
Threats and Conservation Status
Although still abundant, dovekie populations do face a variety of threats especially related to climate change and overfishing. Some major threats include:
- Warming ocean temperatures reducing food supplies
- Declining winter capelin fish stocks from overfishing
- Nesting disturbances from extreme weather and melting permafrost
- Oil spills and pollution impacting feeding areas
Currently, dovekies are listed as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. However, population declines have been noted in some breeding colonies in Svalbard and Greenland. Maintaining abundant food sources both in winter feeding grounds and near breeding colonies will be important for dovekie conservation going forward.
Conclusion
In summary, dovekies have a specialized Arctic and north Atlantic distribution. They breed in massive colonies along coastal cliffs in the high Arctic during summer, before migrating south to spend winter feeding over continental shelf waters. Dovekies congregate in huge flocks at sea and have specific habitat needs at both breeding sites and wintering areas. While still common, dovekies face threats from climate change, overfishing, pollution, and disturbance. Maintaining protected breeding colonies and abundant ocean food resources will be key to ensuring dovekies continue to thrive into the future.