The species feeds by diving in deep waters, eating krill and a variety of small marine animals.

These include colorful plumage with a forehead crest, a striking scent recalling citrus fruit, and a loud trumpet call, all of which appear to have evolved through sexual selection.

It is in general considered to be of least concern, though the Alaskan population faces additional threats from predation and oil spills.

The crested auklet was first described as Alca cristatella in 1769 by the German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas.

[6] The family Alcidae consists of many species of shorebirds including other auklets (not in the genus Aethia), puffins, razorbills, guillemots, and murres.

These forehead crests are highly variable, and can have between two and twenty three narrow forward curving feathers.

[10] Auklets have auricular plumes and a bright orange bill with curved accessory plates.

This odor originates from tiny wick feathers, located in a small patch of skin between the shoulder blades.

[9] On a daily basis, crested auklets circle 500 meters above the sea and the breeding colonies.

[13] Crested auklets primarily forage in deep waters, however sometimes in areas closer to the shore, but always in large flocks.

Their diet consists mainly of krill, but they are also known to eat copepods, pteropods (such as Limacina), amphipods and larval fishes.

Since both sexes are ornamented, crested auklets align with Robert Trivers's parental investment theory, which predicts that with biparental care, mutual choosiness will arise.

There are three general evolutionary mechanisms proposed to address the origin of the elaborate display traits of crested auklets, and of showy mating signals by males in general: Asserted dominance, with regards to claimed display area, has been correlated with crest length in both males and females.

[11] Female crest length is the primary factor of male mate switching between years.

[22] The high density of crested auklet nesting sites can be expected to impose selective pressures on sensory mechanisms.

It is a crucial part of successful pair formation and becomes harmonious once male and female partners are well acquainted.

The call represents a complex but stereotyped vocal sequence that is linked with a specific visual display.

The scent is released when there is ruffling of feathers on the nape and upper back of the individual from threat, trumpeting, or billing displays.

A ruff sniff display is when birds fully insert their half open bill into the other's plumage.

[21] Odor secretions increase during the breeding season, highlighting its association with courtship and mate selection.

However, an accurate assessment of the number of birds is difficult, since those on the surface of the colony and in the nearby sea form only a small proportion of the variable and poorly understood population.