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Kittlitz's Murrelet
last update: Mar 04, 2009 03:17 PM
Latin name: Brachyramphus brevirostris
Population: 13,000-35,000
Cites classified: Critically Endangered
Where found: found in the waters off Alaska and Eastern Siberia
Age/ life expectancy: unknown
Wingspan: 43 cm
Length: 25 cm
Weight: 227 g
Mating/Breeding: They are solitary nesters that rely on camouflage and secretive behaviour to avoid predation. They nest on the ground, generally on unvegetated scree fields and occasionally on cliff faces. A single egg is laid in a small scrape, usually on the downhill side of a large rock.
Eggs: speckled with variable colours
Hibernation: unknown where they winter, but only leave breeding grounds due to ice formation
Hunting Habits: surface dive close to shore
Feed on: fish, invertebrates, macroplankton
Predators: unknown
Colour/Body: Small auk with tiny legs, breeding plumage is grayish-brown which reflects its habit of breeding on bare ground near snowfields. In the winter, it adopts the black and white plumage typical of many seabirds. Has a dark, short, pointed bill.
Interesting Trivia:
- This bird was known by Native Americans for many years before ornithologists, skeptical of their existence, were convinced to research them.
