Marbled Murrelet

Marbled Murrelet, adult; breeding plumage; Seward, Alaska in July

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Marbled Murrelet, non-breeding adult ; Monterey Bay, CA; August

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A chunky Pacific seabird, the Marbled Murrelet is unique among alcids (puffin relatives) in nesting high up in large trees in coastal forests. Little-known until the past few decades, it now is thought to be seriously threatened by logging.

Description

Small plump waterbird. Short, pointed bill. Short, pointed tail. Breeding adult sooty brown on upperparts, mottled brown on underparts. Nonbreeding adult with blackish upperparts, white underparts. White extends up sides of head, almost all the way around the nape.

• Size: 24-25 cm (9-10 in)
• Weight: 258-357 g (9.11-12.6 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike.

Sound

Common call is a smooth "keer," sometimes uttered as two syllables. Also issues a short, forceful whistle-like note at the nest.

Conservation Status

Logging and development of forested nesting habitat are considered the greatest threats to this species. Significant portions of nesting areas have already been lost. Oil spills and entanglement in gill-nets are also major risks. Listed as "endangered" by the state of California, and as "threatened" under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Other Names

Guillemot marbré (French)

Cool Facts

• The Marbled Murrelet usually nests in trees greater than 200 years in age.

• Though the Marbled Murrelet was first described in 1789, a nest site of the species was first discovered and formally documented only in 1974. The egg, however, was known in 1898, when a bird was shot that contained a complete egg in its oviduct.

• The Marbled Murrelet was once known as the "Australian Bumble Bee" by fishermen and as the "fogbird" or "fog lark" by loggers.

Sources used to construct this page:

Nelson, S. K. 1997. Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus). In The Birds of North America, No. 276 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists Union, Washington, D.C.