Thick-billed Murre

Overview

The thick-billed murre, also known as Brünnich's guillemot (Uria lomvia), is one of the largest living members of the auk family, Alcidae. This species is notable for forming vast breeding colonies on coastal cliffs and spending the majority of its life at sea in polar and sub-polar waters.

Identification

• Adult plumage features black head, neck, back, and wings with white underparts, while the lower face becomes white in winter.
• Distinguished from the similar common murre by a thicker, shorter bill with a white gape stripe, and darker head and back.
• Produces a variety of harsh cackling calls at breeding colonies but is silent at sea.

Habitat

Distributed across the polar and sub-polar regions of the Northern Hemisphere, including the Arctic and Atlantic coasts of North America, the Pacific coast of North America, and the Russian Arctic. The species resides in waters that remain below 5°C and forms dense breeding colonies on narrow ledges and steep cliffs that face the water.

Diet

Primarily feeds on fish such as Arctic cod and capelin, as well as the pelagic amphipod Parathemisto libellula, though capelin can constitute over 90% of the diet in winter near Newfoundland. Foraging is conducted by using wings to 'swim' underwater, with diving trajectories resembling a flattened 'U' shape.

Did you know?

The thick-billed murre has the smallest territory of any bird, requiring less than one square foot per individual, yet it remains one of the most abundant marine birds in the Northern Hemisphere.