A medium seabird that nests in dense colonies on cliffs.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The common murre or common guillemot is a large auk, one of several species called murre or guillemot. It has a circumpolar distribution, occurring in low-Arctic and boreal waters in the North Atlantic and North Pacific. It spends most of its time at sea, only coming to land to breed on rocky cliff shores or islands.
Source: Wikipedia — Common murre Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Slender black-and-white seabird with a long, pointed bill; head and upperparts dark (chocolate-brown to black), underparts white. Winter birds show a white face with a thin dark line behind the eye.
Similar species. Thick-billed Murre has a shorter, thicker bill with a pale gape line and a darker face in winter; the Common Murre is slimmer-billed with a white winter face.
Voice. Low, growling, purring 'arrr' notes at the colony; silent at sea.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Small fish caught by wing-propelled diving.
Behavior. A penguin-like seabird of cold northern oceans that 'flies' underwater to catch fish; nests shoulder-to-shoulder in dense cliff colonies, laying a single pear-shaped egg on bare rock.
§ Range
North Pacific, North Atlantic
§ Habitat
Cliffs, coastal waters
§ Threats
Oil spills, climate change.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the common murre is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Reduce ocean pollution.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Common murre
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Uria aalge
- IUCN Red List — search for Uria aalge
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Uria aalge
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds
- National Audubon Society
- iNaturalist
- IUCN Red List
