About the Thick-billed Murre
The thick-billed murre or Brünnich's guillemot is a bird in the auk family (Alcidae). This bird is named after the Danish zoologist Morten Thrane Brünnich. The very deeply black North Pacific subspecies Uria lomvia arra is also called Pallas' murre after its describer.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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Since the extinction of the great auk in the mid-19th century, the murres are the largest living members of the Alcidae. The thick-billed murre and the closely related common guillemot (or common murre, U. aalge) are similarly sized, but the thick-billed still bests the other species in both average and maximum size. The thick-billed murre measures 40–48 cm (16–19 in) in total length, spans 64–81 cm (25–32 in) across the wings and weighs 736–1,481 g (26.0–52.2 oz). The Pacific race (U. l. arra) is larger than the Atlantic race, especially in bill dimensions.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What the Thick-billed Murre sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Netherlands, Belgium, France, Denmark.
When to see it
Peak activity in June · a variable species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Learn the Thick-billed Murre for real
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