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Brunnich's Guillemot
last update: Mar 04, 2009 03:24 PM
Also known as the Thick-billed Murre
Latin name: Uria lomvia
Longevity: 20-25 years
Population: 15-20 million
Cites classified: Least Concern
Where found: High Arctic of Europe, Asia and North America
Wingspan: 64-75 cm wingspan
Length: 40-44 cm in length
Weight: 750-1481 g
Weight at Birth: 70 g
Mating/Breeding: These birds breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs, their single egg being laid directly on a cliff ledge. They move south in winter into northernmost areas of the north Atlantic and Pacific, but only to keep in ice-free waters. They are rare in temperate waters.
Eggs: Very pointed at one end. Colour variable, ranging from white to tan without markings, to dark green or turquoise with extensive black spots and scrawls.
Hibernation: Spends the winters at sea, from edge of open ice southward to Nova Scotia and northern British Columbia. Also off Greenland, northern Europe, and southward in the Pacific to northern Japan.
Hunting Habits: Dives underwater to capture prey, using its wings to swim.
Feed on: Adults mainly eat invertebrates and a few fish and provision their chicks with fish, squid, some crustaceans and other small invertebrates
Predators: Intensive egg harvesting and hunting of adult birds are important threats in Newfoundland and Greenland. Fisheries may also be a threat.
Colour/looks: A medium-sized water bird. Adult birds are black on the head, neck, back and wings with white underparts. The bill is long and pointed. They have a small rounded black tail. The lower face becomes white in winter.
Interesting Trivia:
- The Thick-billed Murre does not build a nest, but incubating birds often shift pebbles or other debris, sometimes dropping them close to the site. When cemented by feces, these fragments may help to keep the egg from rolling off ledge if it is dislodged.
- The Thick-billed Murre is one of the deepest underwater divers of all birds, regularly descending to depths of more than 100 m, and occasionally below 200 m. It can remain submerged for more than three minutes.
