Illustration © David Allen Sibley.
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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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- All Seasons - Common
- All Seasons - Uncommon
- Breeding - Common
- Breeding - Uncommon
- Winter - Common
- Winter - Uncommon
- Migration - Common
- Migration - Uncommon
Songs and Calls
Purring or murmuring, hence the name "murre." Also a guttural croak and higher-pitched bleat.How Climate Change Will Reshape the Range of the Common Murre
Audubon’s scientists have used 140 million bird observations and sophisticated climate models to project how climate change will affect this bird’s range in the future.
Zoom in to see how this species’s current range will shift, expand, and contract under increased global temperatures.
Climate threats facing the Common Murre
Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.
Common Murre In the News More News
Coasts
Climate Change is Already Affecting the Ocean and the Birds That Rely on It
A new United Nations report details the triple-threat that climate change poses to the ocean and its wildlife.
Climate
Thousands of Dead Seabirds Washed Up on Alaska's Shores Again This Year
The deaths, including many Short-tailed Shearwaters, coincided with a new marine heat wave in the region. But the exact cause still eludes scientists.
Press Room
New Seabird Study Highlights Importance of Healthy Forage Fish Populations in Warming World
After 23 years studying the nesting success of puffins, razorbills and murres in the Gulf of Maine, research from Audubon and the University of New Brunswick supports the call for improved protections for forage fish populations.
