Articles
12th November 2006
Sandra Wood
Marbled Murrelets are small seabirds. They are members of the same family as auks, puffins and murres. In winter, they have black & white plumage and conspicuous white wing patches.
During the breeding season, they have mottled-brown plumage. Chicks have yellow or greyish yellow down, with dark spotted upperparts.
Murrelets fly very quickly with rapidly beating, pointed wings, with white shoulder stripes.
Alaska and Canada are home to the largest numbers of birds. Populations in California, Oregon and Washington are now fragmented. In Canada, Marbled Murrelets are found only in British Columbia. Here they occur in coastal areas both summer and winter.
The winter range of the species is not well known, but in the southern parts of the BC range some birds may remain at breeding sites throughout the year.
Murrelets inhabit protected coastal waters throughout the year such as bays, inlets, fjords, lagoons, harbours, coves, as well as exposed coastal waters. Tidal rips through narrow passages, shelves at the mouths of inlets, and shallow banks are important foraging sites.
The largest concentrations have been reported from Skookumchuck Narrows, and near Cortes Island in the spring and winter, and from Sechelt in winter only.
Marbled Murrelets nest singly or in loose associations. Their nests in old trees along the coast are very difficult to find and access, and the species is sensitive to disturbance.
Their lifespan remains unknown, but the oldest Marbled Murrelet that has ever been found was more than 10 years old. Marbled Murrelets have a protracted breeding period, with the individuals of a population not all breeding at the same time. Each pair has only one egg per season and incubation lasts about 28 days.
The species has a very low reproductive rate. Conservation is dependent on the species being long-lived and each pair producing many young over its lifetime.
Human-induced factors threaten the survival of the adults, thereby putting the population at substantial risk.
The Marbled Murrelet is protected under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) as an Endangered Species.
If you see one, please record your sighting by clicking on the READER COMMENT link below.
During the breeding season, they have mottled-brown plumage. Chicks have yellow or greyish yellow down, with dark spotted upperparts.
Murrelets fly very quickly with rapidly beating, pointed wings, with white shoulder stripes.
Alaska and Canada are home to the largest numbers of birds. Populations in California, Oregon and Washington are now fragmented. In Canada, Marbled Murrelets are found only in British Columbia. Here they occur in coastal areas both summer and winter.
The winter range of the species is not well known, but in the southern parts of the BC range some birds may remain at breeding sites throughout the year.
Murrelets inhabit protected coastal waters throughout the year such as bays, inlets, fjords, lagoons, harbours, coves, as well as exposed coastal waters. Tidal rips through narrow passages, shelves at the mouths of inlets, and shallow banks are important foraging sites.
The largest concentrations have been reported from Skookumchuck Narrows, and near Cortes Island in the spring and winter, and from Sechelt in winter only.
Marbled Murrelets nest singly or in loose associations. Their nests in old trees along the coast are very difficult to find and access, and the species is sensitive to disturbance.
Their lifespan remains unknown, but the oldest Marbled Murrelet that has ever been found was more than 10 years old. Marbled Murrelets have a protracted breeding period, with the individuals of a population not all breeding at the same time. Each pair has only one egg per season and incubation lasts about 28 days.
The species has a very low reproductive rate. Conservation is dependent on the species being long-lived and each pair producing many young over its lifetime.
Human-induced factors threaten the survival of the adults, thereby putting the population at substantial risk.
The Marbled Murrelet is protected under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) as an Endangered Species.
If you see one, please record your sighting by clicking on the READER COMMENT link below.
Murrelets are a Small Sized Sea Bird
Murrelet Black & White Winter Plumage