Alcids Marbled Murrelet

It nests in old growth forests or on the ground at higher latitudes where trees cannot grow.

Alcids marbled murrelet. From october through december they are numerous in offshore areas are often visible from shore and are the most likely of washington s alcids to be found inland especially in. Its habit of nesting in trees was suspected but not documented until a tree climber found a chick in 1974 making it one of the last north american bird species to have its nest. Marbled murrelets belong to the alcid family that includes puffins murres guillemots auklets and dovekie. Murrelet any of six species of small diving birds belonging to the auk family alcidae order charadriiformes.

An auk or alcid is a bird of the family alcidae in the order charadriiformes the alcid family includes the murres guillemots auklets puffins and murrelets the word auk ɔː k is derived from icelandic álka from old norse alka auk from proto germanic alkǭ sea bird auk. In the non breeding season they are gray and black mixed with white above with white bellies. But somewhere in the far past a few murrelets ancestors decided that those giant woody green things just inland off the coast made pretty good nest platforms too. Like other alcids the marbled murrelet has short wings which it uses to swim as deep as 300 feet underwater in search of small fish and invertebrates.

Swift direct flight low over the water on rapid wing beats. Murrelets belong to the auk family alcidae of birds that includes puffins murres and guillemots. Designed with an aquatic life in mind alcids are seabirds that come ashore only to nest. Small chubby seabird with dark brown mottled upperparts and paler white tipped brown feathers on underparts giving a wavy barred appearance.

Murrelets are about 20 cm 8 inches long thin billed and in winter plain plumaged. Feeds on fish and crustaceans. At sea they are often found feeding in pairs near the shore. They are sometimes called sea sparrows as are auklets.

Apart from the extinct great auk all auks can fly under water as well as in the air. More pelagic and gregarious than marbled murrelets ancient murrelets are typically found farther out with flocks of up to 30 birds a common sight in the winter. Marbled murrelets and kittlitz s murrelets are unusual among the alcids in that they molt to cryptic brown plumage during the breeding season. They are typically short and squat with stubby wings suited for flying underwater.

Legs and feet are brown. Niche overlap and resource partitioning have seldom been investigated in the marine habitats of seabirds but are obvious determinants of community an. In some species the young go to sea when.