Uria aalge

Guillemots are true seabirds. They only come on land to breed. They look for food from the water by sticking their head underwater and search for a tasty fish, such as sprat and lesser sandeel. Guillemots are excellent divers, easily swimming down to 180 meters. Under water, they swim just like penguins, using their wings. That is why their feathers and wings are very short and strong.

Guillemots gather in breeding colonies for the summer. Between May and July, females lay a single egg directly onto cliff ledges; its conical shape prevents it from rolling off (3). At around 3 weeks of age, the young guillemot leaves the colony before it has fledged, and dramatically plunges into the sea accompanied by the adult male (6), who will care for the young at sea until it becomes independent a couple of months later (2), (5). Shortly after leaving the breeding colonies between June and August, adult guillemots undergo the main annual moult, and become flightless for around 6 to 7 weeks (5). During the winter guillemots disperse fairly widely, with young birds covering the greatest distances (5). Throughout the year, the diet consists mainly of various small species of fish, as well as crustaceans, marine worms and molluscs. Sand eels are particularly important during summer (2). Guillemots dive to obtain food (2), 'flying' under water with their wings (6).

The guillemot is the commonest member of the auk family in the British Isles (3). The head as well as the upperparts are dark brown in colour; the underparts are white. In winter a variable part of the head also becomes white (3). A 'bridled' form occurs in which the eye is bordered with white, and a white line extends backwards from the eye towards the neck (3). The bill is thin, uniformly dark and pointed, and the tail is short, so that in flight the legs are clearly visible; these features allow the guillemot to be distinguished from the razorbill (Alca torda), which also has darker upperparts (3). Young guillemots in their first summer are generally similar in appearance to adults, but have a white area on the throat (3). In breeding colonies, this species is particularly vocal, producing a variety of calls including a deep 'mmmmm' (3), which has given rise to an alternative common name for this species, the 'murre' (4).

Belgian Exclusive Economic Zone, De Haan, English Coast, European waters (ERMS scope), Faroe Islands, Gulf of Maine, Iceland, Irish Exclusive economic Zone, North West Atlantic, Northern North Atlantic, Northern North Pacific, Oostende, Polish Exclusive Economic Zone, Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone, Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone, Swedish Exclusive Economic Zone, United Kingdom Exclusive Economic Zone, Wimereux

North America; Labrador to Virginia

The Common Guillemot has a circumpolar distribution, occuring in the low-arctic and boreal waters of the north Atlantic and north Pacific¹³.

During breeding, the common murre populations of the Pacific Ocean range from coastal areas of western Alaska to central California. The Atlantic Ocean populations range from Labrador to Nova Scotia. They spend the winters close to the breeding areas but their range extends to southern California in the Pacific populations and to Maine in the Atlantic populations.

(del Hoyo, et al. 1996, Ehrlich 1988)

Biogeographic Regions: atlantic ocean (Native ); pacific ocean (Native )

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: (>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)) BREEDING: along coasts of North Pacific from Bering Strait south to northern Japan, eastern Korea, and central California; and North Atlantic from western Greenland, Iceland, Bear Island, and Novaya Zemlya south to Newfoundland and northern France. NON-BREEDING: at sea mainly in boreal waters (AOU 1983).

Northern Atlantic and Pacific oceans. South to Japan and Korea in Pacific, south to Mediterranean in Atlantic.

Occurs in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (1), breeding on the coasts of the north Pacific and north Atlantic (2). In Britain it breeds in internationally significant numbers (2).

At first glance, the common murre appears penguin-like, as the breeding adults are dark brown-black on the head, neck and back with a white underbelly and white tipped secondary feathers. They are about 38-43cm in length and stand upright like a penguin when on land. They have dark, long, and slender bills and dark greyish-black feet and legs. They have a wingspan of 64-71 cm. The adult winter plumage is mostly identical except for white on the cheeks and throat and a dark spur extending back from the eye. An alternate form, or the bridled morph, only occurs in a population in the North Atlantic. It has an eye ring with a line extending toward the back of its head in addition to the regular adult plumage. Chicks are downy when first hatched. They are blackish brown on top and white underneath. When they are first hatched they weigh 55-95 grams. Juveniles are similar to adults except for their smaller size and darker heads.

(Ehrlich 1988, del Hoyo, et al. 1996, Terres 1980)

Range mass: 945 to 1044 g.

Average basal metabolic rate: 6.8224 W.

Length: 45 cm

Weight: 1006 grams

Length: 40-43 cm, Wingspan: 71 cm

Habitat and Ecology

Systems

• Terrestrial
• Marine

The common murre is primarily a pelagic species. It spends the majority of its time at sea except for during breeding season. The breeding season is spent on costal cliffs or offshore islands that are primarily rocky. (Ehrlich 1988, del Hoyo, et al. 1996, Terres 1980)

Aquatic Biomes: coastal

Depth range based on 225239 specimens in 1 taxon.
Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 96909 samples.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 0 - 0
  Temperature range (°C): -0.467 - 17.280
  Nitrate (umol/L): 0.224 - 16.868
  Salinity (PPS): 5.715 - 35.972
  Oxygen (ml/l): 5.581 - 8.419
  Phosphate (umol/l): 0.138 - 0.890
  Silicate (umol/l): 0.565 - 16.169

Graphical representation

Temperature range (°C): -0.467 - 17.280

Nitrate (umol/L): 0.224 - 16.868

Salinity (PPS): 5.715 - 35.972

Oxygen (ml/l): 5.581 - 8.419

Phosphate (umol/l): 0.138 - 0.890

Silicate (umol/l): 0.565 - 16.169
 
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

Comments: Nonbreeding: pelagic and along rocky seacoasts (AOU 1983). Nests in the open or in crevices on broad and narrow cliff ledges, on stack (cliff) tops, and on flat, rocky, low-lying islands; less commonly nests under boulders or in caves; usually nests in same exact site in successive years (Harris and Birkhead 1985). Cliff-top nests in Washington had lower reproductive success than did crevice nests in vertical cliffs (Parrish 1995, Auk 112:390-401).

Open ocean, bays, and sea cliffs.

Inhabits both coastal and offshore waters, and nests on coastal cliffs and rock stacks (2).

Non-Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species do not make significant seasonal migrations. Juvenile dispersal is not considered a migration.

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Breeders from Newfoundland are resident or move only short distance to south. Males from Chukchi Sea colonies in Alaska drift toward Siberia with flightless young for a few weeks before flying rapidly south to the southeastern Bering Sea. Females from these colonies fly directly to the wintering grounds (Hatch et al. 2000). Unimak Pass probably most important corridor to and from eastern Bering Sea. See Brown (1985) for discussion of movements in Old World.

Moves south of freezing waters, but is permanent resident in many locations.

The common murre is mainly piscivorous. They are surface divers that can remain submerged for up to one minute at a time. They often dive to a depth of 100 feet but have been recorded to reach a depth of 550 feet. They use their strong wings to fly underwater. Adults consume between 20g and 32g of food everyday. They mostly catch small fish up to 7 inches in length, which they carry in their bills lengthwise with the tail hanging out. Most of the fish species consumed include polar cod, capelin (Mallotus), launces, sprat (Sprattus), sandeels (Ammodytes), small Atlantic cod and herring (Clupeus). They also eat a variety of marine worms, amphipods, shrimp, molluscs, and Arctic squids.

(Ehrlich 1988, del Hoyo, et al. 1996, Terres 1980)

Comments: Mysids and shrimp dominate winter diet in Alaska, mostly fish and some squid off California, mostly capelin off Newfoundland (Sanger 1987). Young fed herring, capelin, sprat, sandlance (Bradstreet and Brown 1985). Dives from surface to at least 180 m (Piatt and Nettleship 1985).

Feeds mostly on fish, but will also eat marine worms, crustaceans, and squids.

>1,000,000 individuals

Comments: Estimated global population 13.0-20.7 million breeding individuals (Ainley et al. 2002): eastern Asia, 3.0-3.3 million (Kondratyev et al. 2000); western North America, 4.0-8.4 million; eastern North America, 1.2 million (Ainley et al. 2002); Greenland and Europe, 4.8-7.8 million (Nettleship and Evans 1985). Population estimates for individual colonies in western North America are presented in USFWS (2001) and Carter et al. (2001), and summarized in Ainley et al. (2002); those for eastern North America are presented in Ainley et al. (2002).

In Newfoundland, median potential foraging range (from breeding colony) was 37.8 km for incubating birds, 5.4 km for chick-rearing birds (Cairns et al. 1987). However, in northwestern Alaska, telemetry data from incubating or chick-rearing birds indicated that they regularly foraged up to 100 km from their colonies (Hatch et al. 2000). Annual adult survivorship greater than 85%. Up to 3900/sq km reported in winter on Grand Banks off Newfoundland. In California, Western Gull sometimes is an important predator on eggs and chicks (Spear 1993). High density breeding may reduce vulnerability to predators (J. Anim. Ecol. 60:721).

Average lifespan
Status: wild: 317 months.

Maximum longevity: 38 years (wild) Observations: In the wild, these animals have been known to live up to 38 years (http://www.euring.org/data_and_codes/longevity.htm).

The first breeding season takes place at the age of 4-6 years. The common murre does not use nesting material, as the one egg is laid on the bare rock or soil of a steep cliff or ledge facing the sea. The egg is pyriform or pear-shaped which prevents it from rolling off of the ledge. This is because the egg pivots around the pointed tip when it is disturbed. The shape also maximizes the amount of surface area that will be in contact with the parent's brood patch during incubation. Eggs are laid between May and July in populations breeding on the Atlantic coast and between March and July on the Pacific coast. The eggs vary in colour from pure white to shades of green, blue, or brown with spots or speckles of brown, lilac, or black. These various colour forms are important for egg recognition by parents. Both parents participate in the incubation process, which takes between 28 and 34 days and is divided into 12-24 hour shifts. Chicks of the common murre are semiprecocial. Chicks fledge (leave the nest) at 18-25 days and go out to sea with the male of the pair. The chick is able to fly at the age of 39-46 days. (Ehrlich 1988, del Hoyo, et al. 1996, Terres 1980)

Average time to hatching: 31 days.

Average eggs per season: 1.

Laying peaks in second half of June in southeastern Canada and in mid-June in western Gulf of Alaska. Mean laying date on the Farallon Islands, California, varies among years from early to late May (Sydeman and Eddy 1995, Condor 97:1048-1052). Both sexes, in turn, incubate 1 egg for 32-34 days (also reported as 28-35 days). May produce one or more replacement eggs if egg is lost during incubation. Young are fed at nest 18-25 days (also reported as 16-32 days) (average varies from about 19 to 23, affected by laying date, among other factors), then go to sea, tended by adult male for a few weeks. First breeds at about 3-5+ years. Breeding colonies may be large, with exceptionally high density; colony on Castle Rocks, California, had about 126,000 breeding birds in early 1980s (Spendelow and Patton 1988).

First breeds at 4-5 years old. Nest close together in colonies on cliffs and stony areas. No actual nest built. 1 egg, incubated by both partners for 28-37 days. Both parents feed hatchling. Young leaves nest with parents well before capable of flight, which happens around 50-70 days old.

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 13
Specimens with Barcodes: 21
Species With Barcodes: 1

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.

There are 13 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank.  Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.  See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.

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Year Assessed

Assessor/s

Reviewer/s

Contributor/s

Justification

History

• 2008
  Least Concern
• 2004
  Least Concern

Although the common murre is not threatened, they are highly susceptible to the damaging effects of oil spills and pollution.

(Terres 1980)

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N5B,N5N : N5B: Secure - Breeding, N5N: Secure - Nonbreeding

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5B,N5N : N5B: Secure - Breeding, N5N: Secure - Nonbreeding

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

No official conservation status, but has declined in recent past.

Receives general protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and listed under Appendix III of the Berne Convention (2). Included in the Birds of Conservation concern Amber list (medium conservation concern) (7).

Comments: On islands off Labrador, colonizing arctic foxes eliminated breeding populations of common murres (Birkhead and Nettleship 1995). Population decline in Washington (Bayer et al. 1991) possibly has been due to the effects of increased sea surface temperatures, oil spills, gill-net mortality, and/or U.S. Navy practice bombing (see Wiulson 1991). As many as 100,000 died in spring 1993 in nearshore waters of southeastern Alaska; cause unknown, perhaps related to abnormally warm water temperatures (Pacific Seabird Group Bull., 1993). Thousands drown in gill nets off Newfoundland. Many killed in halibut fishery off central California (protective legislation enacted, King 1984).

Historically, guillemots and their eggs were taken for food, and adults were shot for sport, but this largely ceased after the 1930s. Current threats include oil pollution (2). Although not a current problem, food shortage, thought to be caused mainly by over-fishing, is a potential threat (8). All auks are rendered particularly susceptible to oil pollution by their diving habits (2), and in recent years local incidents of mass mortality caused by starvation have occurred in Scotland (2). Food shortage may prove to be the most serious threat to this species in the long-term (2).

Management Requirements: See Evans and Nettleship (1985) for management recommendations.

Management Research Needs: See Evans and Nettleship (1985) for research recommendations.

Research into the effects of large-scale fishing on species of auks, particularly into the effects of industrial fishing of sand eels, is required (2). Furthermore, oil pollution and its effects must be minimised (2).

Unknown.

The excrement of the common murre is rich in potash, which is important for the growth of many marine species. Many of these species are essential food sources for a variety of fish species which have economic uses by humans.

(Terres 1980)