Animalia Life
Brachyramphus marmoratus
TAXONOMY
Brachyramphus marmoratus Gmelin, 1789, Alaska. Two subspecies.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Atlantic murre, long-billed murrelet; French: Guillemot
marbrй; German: Marmelalk; Spanish: Mйrgulo Jaspeado.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
9.5–10.5 in (24–27 cm); 6.7–9.5 oz (220–270 g). Dark brown
crown and upperparts, back feathers tipped in rusty brown;
mottled brown and white underparts. Black bill is slender and
pointed; flesh-colored legs and feet with dark webs.
DISTRIBUTION
Pacific coast of North America from the Bering Sea to central
California, and in similar latitudes on the western side of the
Bering Strait.
HABITAT
Nests in coastal forest, preferring large old-growth areas offering
heavy cover, or on rocky ground in the northernmost sections
of its range.
BEHAVIOR
Marbled murrelets spend most of their time at sea, although
individuals are occasionally still seen in the forests. Non-breeding
birds spend the nights a few miles from shore, moving in
closer during the day to feed. Mated pairs are often sighted together
at sea throughout the year. Never seen in large flocks.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Fish and marine invertebrates.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
The murrelets build small, cup-shaped nests, flying to and from
them at dawn and dusk. They nest solitarily or, in some areas,
in small, loose aggregations. Accordingly, studies of nesting
BEHAVIOR
remain limited. Egg is incubated for 27–30 days. After
hatching. the chick is fledged and on its own after 27–40 days.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened. There is some concern, especially in the Pacific
Northwest, about the effects of increasing nest predation,
the reduction in old-forest habitat, and the effects of commercial
fishing nets.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.
Photo Gallery of - Marbled murrelet
