Pigeon Guillemot

Dan Roby, Kirsten Bixler

Latin Name: Cepphus columba

Pigeon Guillemots are seabirds that were common in Prince William Sound, Alaska, before the Exxon Valdez oil spill. About 1,500 guillemots were directly killed by the spill, and guillemots did not recover to pre-spill numbers after the spill. Dr. Dan Roby and graduate student Kirsten Bixler showed that introduced mink were preventing recovery of the guillemot population from the spill. Restoration of the guillemot population is proceeding by removing introduced mink from key nesting habitat.

Publications: 

ResearchGate