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Ancient Murrelet

Ancient Murrelet

Synthliboramphus antiquus

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The Ancient Murrelet is a small auk of the North Pacific, named for the grey “shawl” on its back that gives it an elderly look. It breeds in burrows on forested islands from East Asia through the Aleutians to western Canada and spends most of its life at sea. Remarkably, the chicks go to sea one or two days after hatching, and some birds cross the whole North Pacific to winter off Japan and China.

Did you know?

  • It is the only bird known to cross the entire North Pacific on migration.
  • It spends less time on land than almost any other bird.

About the species

Identification

A small auk with a short, pale bill, grey back and white underparts; the head, throat and nape are black. In summer fine white streaks show on the sides of the head. It differs from Black Guillemot in lacking a white wing patch and having a much shorter bill, and it is much smaller than guillemots and Razorbill.

Family

Alcidae

Size

Medium (thrush)

Colours

black, grey, white

About the habitat

Breeds in burrows in forest soil, among roots and under logs on remote North Pacific islands; otherwise lives offshore.

Diet

Mainly crustaceans in winter and small fish and crustaceans in summer, caught by diving and swimming underwater with its wings.

Behaviour

Flies with fast wingbeats, rolling from side to side. It visits its colonies only at night. The chicks leave the burrow 1–3 days after hatching, find their parents by call on the water, and the family swims out to sea, where the young are fed for weeks. Introduced rats have devastated some colonies.

Sources

Photo: Eric Ellingson, CC BY 2.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ancient Murrelet - Semiahmoo Spit.jpg

Text: Wikipedia (English), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_murrelet

See also