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Thick-billed Murre

Thick-billed Murre

Uria lomvia

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The Thick-billed Murre, or Brünnich's Guillemot, is a sturdy auk of the high Arctic that spends most of its life on icy seas and comes ashore only to breed. It nests in huge, densely packed colonies on cliff ledges. It has a dark head and back, white underparts and a thick, pointed bill with a pale line along the gape. It moves south in winter only far enough to find ice-free water.

Did you know?

  • It has the smallest territory of any bird – less than a hand's breadth of ledge.
  • Its chicks leap from the cliffs at night, with the father gliding down after them.

About the species

Identification

The adult has a black head and back and white breast and belly and stands upright on land. It is slightly larger than Common Guillemot. Its bill is clearly thicker and shorter than the Common Guillemot's, with a pale line along the gape, which helps separate them; the overall look is more massive, with blacker upperparts and unstreaked flanks. In summer the white of the breast forms a sharp point into the black throat.

Family

Alcidae

Size

Large (crow)

Colours

black, white

About the habitat

Cold Arctic and subarctic seas, mostly below about 5 °C; breeds on narrow ledges of steep sea cliffs and winters at the edge of the ice.

Diet

Fish such as Arctic cod and capelin, squid and crustaceans, caught by deep wing-propelled dives; it brings single prey items to its chick.

Behaviour

Breeds in vast cliff colonies where pairs lay a single egg on bare rock and both parents share incubation and chick-rearing. Colonies are noisy with harsh, growling calls, but birds are quiet at sea. Chicks leave the ledges at 18–25 days, gliding down to the sea at night, and travel with their father for several weeks.

Sources

Photo: AWeith, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A Brünnich's guillemot (Uria lomvia) with prey.jpg

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

See also