About Cepphus carbo Pallas, 1811
This species, the spectacled guillemot (scientific name Cepphus carbo Pallas, 1811), reaches approximately 38 cm (15 inches) in length, and has red legs, a black bill, and a blackish iris. Breeding adult spectacled guillemots have a distinct appearance: their plumage is mostly dull sooty-black, with the exception of prominent white "spectacles" on the face. In non-breeding plumage, adults have white underparts with uniform very pale grey-brown tipping. Transitional birds resemble breeding adults, but have underparts scaled with white. Males and females look identical, while juveniles can be distinguished from adults. No subspecies have been identified for this species. The spectacled guillemot's range is limited to the northwestern Pacific Ocean, occurring across the Sea of Okhotsk and the Kuril Islands in Russia, and on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō. Its range overlaps with that of the closely related pigeon guillemot, though the spectacled guillemot's range extends further north.
