Species: Uria lomvia

Thick-billed Murre

Species

Birds

Encyclopedia of Puget Sound

Classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Craniata

Class

Aves

Order

Charadriiformes

Family

Alcidae

Genus

Uria

NatureServe

Source:
ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.100797

Classification

Other Global Common Names

Brünnich's Murre - guillemot de Brünnich

Informal Taxonomy

Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Other Birds

Formal Taxonomy

Animalia - Craniata - Aves - Charadriiformes - Alcidae - Uria - An analysis of genetic relationships using amplified DNA revealed two clades, one in the Pacific and one in the Atlantic; there was no apparent genetic divergence among several populations in the western and eastern Atlantic (Birt-Friesen et al. 1992).

Ecology and Life History

Migration

true - true - true - Birds from eastern North America arctic migrate to Newfoundland either directly or via western Greenland; birds from European arctic move southwest toward western Greenland. Arrives on breeding grounds in Greenland in April (low arctic) - May or June (high arctic), departs mid-August to early September (Evans 1984). See Brown (1985) and Johnsgard (1987) for more information on migration and breeding areas of specific wintering populations.

Non-migrant

true

Locally Migrant

true

Food Comments

Dives underwater from surface, feeds on fishes (average about 10 cm, often benthic species) and crustaceans, to lesser extent polychaetes and molluscs. Chicks are fed mainly fishes, also invertebrates. Forages up to 175 km from colony in some areas. Dives up to 210 m, but usually 40 m or less (Croll et al. 1992).

Reproduction Comments

Egg dates vary with location and ice conditions (mean laying date in mid-June in western Gulf of Alaska). Both sexes incubate 1 egg for 25-40 days (mode about 32-34). Young is fed at the nest by both sexes for 16-35 days (average 23), then goes to sea, tended by adult (frequently the male) for a few weeks. First breeds usually at an age of 3-6 years (Gaston et al. 1994). At Coats Island, Northwest Territories, reproductive success increased with age to at least nine years (Gaston et al. 1994).

Ecology Comments

Annual adult survival was estimated at 91% in northeastern Canada (Hudson 1985), 86-90% at Coats Island, Northwest Territories; the latter population was subject to heavy hunting in the wintering area; survival rate of young from departure to age three years was estimated at 52% (Gaston et al. 1994).

Length

Weight

964

Conservation Status

NatureServe Global Status Rank

Global Status Last Reviewed

1996-11-27

Global Status Last Changed

1996-11-27

Other Status

LC - Least concern

Distribution

Conservation Status Map

Global Range

H - >2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles) - H - BREEDS: islands, coasts in Arctic of North America and Eurasia. In North America south to Aleutian and Kodiak islands, Hudson Bay, and Gulf of St. Lawrence. WINTERS: Newfoundland waters comprise the most important wintering area in the western Atlantic. In North America south to southeastern Alaska and southern New England (AOU 1983).

Global Range Code

Global Range Description

>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)

ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.100797