Common Murre
Uria aalge
The Common Murre (Uria aalge) is a common auks, puffins, and murr found in 31 countries, weighing about 992 g. The common murre or common guillemot is a large auk, one of several species called murre or guillemot.
About the Common Murre
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.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The common murre is 38–46 cm (15–18 in) in length with a 61–73 cm (24–29 in) wingspan. Male and female are indistinguishable in the field and weight ranges between 945 g (2 lb 1+1⁄2 oz) in the south of their range and 1,044 g (2 lb 5 oz) in the north. A weight range of 775–1,250 g (1 lb 11+1⁄2 oz – 2 lb 12 oz) has been reported. In breeding plumage, the nominate subspecies U. a. aalge is black on the head, back and wings, and has white underparts. It has a thin dark pointed bill and a small rounded black tail.
What the Common Murre sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
The Common Murre can be seen all year round, with peak activity in July. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Watch the Common Murre on live cams
Browse all 118 bird cams worldwide, live and seasonal, by region and species.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Common Murre?
- The common murre is 38–46 cm (15–18 in) in length with a 61–73 cm (24–29 in) wingspan. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Common Murre?
- The Common Murre is a large sized bird weighing about 992 g.
- Where can you see a Common Murre?
- The Common Murre occurs in 31 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway and Canada.
- What does a Common Murre sound like?
- You can listen to 2 field recordings of the Common Murre on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Common Murre?
- The Common Murre is most easily confused with the Thick-billed Murre.
- Is the Common Murre endangered?
- The Common Murre is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Common Murre for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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