Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) | Photos and ID

ENEndangeredInvertebrates

MarinePlatform nestMedium · 220 g

Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus), photo 4 — Photo: Kalvin Chan · CC BY 4.0

Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus), photo 5 — Photo: Jason Alexander · CC BY 4.0

ID tip

The marbled murrelet is a small (25 cm), chunky auk with a slender black bill. It has pointed wings and plumage that varies by season. The non-breeding plumage is typically white underneath with a black crown, nape, wings and back. The bird closely resembles its congener, the long-billed murrelet; in fact, these species were considered conspecific up until 1998. In breeding plumage, both have a brown mottled body and face. The long-billed has a pale white throat which is lacking in the marbled. In winter plumage, the marbled murrelet has a white neck collar, absent in long-billed.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Marbled Murrelet

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 11 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is July, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Marbled Murrelet

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 2 countries with regular records, and 1 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

United States Canada

Recorded as a rare visitor in Mexico.

About the Marbled Murrelet

The marbled murrelet is a small seabird from the North Pacific. It is a member of the family Alcidae, which includes auklets, guillemots, murres and puffins. It nests in old-growth forests or on the ground at higher latitudes where trees cannot grow. Its population has declined since humans began logging its nest trees in the latter half of the 19th century. The decline of the marbled murrelet and its association with old-growth forests—at least in the southern part of its range—have made it a flagship species in the forest protection movement.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Kittlitz's MurreletBrachyramphus brevirostrisKittlitz's murrelet is a small alcid found in the waters off Alaska and Eastern Siberia.

Long-billed MurreletBrachyramphus perdixThe long-billed murrelet is a small (25 cm long), chunky auk with a slender black bill.

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