Hermit crabs in the diet of Pigeon Guillemots at Kachemak Bay, Alaska

Guillemots (Cepphus spp.) feed their chicks a diet that is almost exclusive ly Ash. We observed Pigeon Guillemots (C. columba) at two colonies in Alask a where hermit crabs (Crustacea Anomura) were a major part of the diet for some nestlings. Hermit crabs were delivered to three of five observed nests at one colony comprised between 2% and 22% of the items deliver ed at thos e nests, and were the second most common food type at one nest. Hermit crab s may be an attractive prey item when lipid-rich forage fish are scarce, an d crabs living in gastropod shells that have been softened by encrustations of Suberites sponges may be vulnerable to guillemot predation.