Illustration © David Allen Sibley.
Learn more about these drawings.
Text © Kenn Kaufman, adapted from
Lives of North American Birds
Photo: Glenn Bartley/Vireo
Common Murre
Uria aalge
| Conservation status | Still abundant, but populations are known to have declined in many areas. Vulnerable to effects of pollution; a frequent victim of oil spills. |
|---|---|
| Family | Auks, Murres, Puffins |
| Habitat | Ocean, large bays; colonies on sea cliffs. Favors cool ocean waters, both offshore and rather near coast, generally over continental shelf. Unlike Thick-billed Murre, tends to avoid areas of pack ice. Nests on coasts and islands, on ledges of cliffs and on flat bare rock atop sea stacks. |
Photo Gallery
Feeding Behavior
Forages while swimming underwater. May dive to more than 150' below surface when foraging.
Eggs
One. Very variable, usually whitish, tan, blue, or green, with markings of brown, reddish, black. Incubation is by both sexes, 28-37 days. Young: Fed by both parents. Young leaves nest at 15-25 days, before able to fly; flutters down to water, is cared for and fed by parents at sea for several more weeks. Young is probably capable of flight at about 50-70 days.
Young
Fed by both parents. Young leaves nest at 15-25 days, before able to fly; flutters down to water, is cared for and fed by parents at sea for several more weeks. Young is probably capable of flight at about 50-70 days.
Diet
Mostly fish. Feeds on wide variety of fish, including herring, cod, capelin, sand lance, haddock, many others. Also eats various crustaceans, marine worms, squid.
Nesting
First breeds at age of 4-5 years. Nests in colonies. Displays by members of pair include pointing bill skyward, bowing deeply, clashing open bills together, preening each other's feathers. One (usually female) may return to nest site from sea with fish, present it ceremonially to mate. Nest site is on cliff ledge or on flat stony surface near water. Nests may be very close together, incubating birds well within touching distance. No nest built, egg laid on bare rock.
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- Breeding - Uncommon
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- Winter - Uncommon
- Migration - Common
- Migration - Uncommon
Songs and Calls
Purring or murmuring, hence the name "murre." Also a guttural croak and higher-pitched bleat.Common Murre In the News More News
News
Bird Casualties Remain a Mystery After Largest-ever Oil Spill Off Canada's East Coast
In November, an offshore platform spilled 66,000 gallons of oil into the Atlantic, where millions of seabirds overwinter. But determining a death toll is proving a challenge for biologists.
Podcast
Common Murres Are the Penguins of the North
These alcids, related to puffins, must flap frantically to fly through the air—but beneath the waves, they are streamlined, masterful swimmers.
Climate
In Alaska, Starving Seabirds and Empty Colonies Signal a Broken Ecosystem
Mass die-offs and breeding failures, now ongoing for years, have marine biologists worried that this is a new normal caused by climate change.
