Bird name:

Marbled Murrelet

Brachyramphus marmoratus

Order

CHARADRIIFORMES

Family

Auks, Murres and Puffins (Alcidae)

Code 4

MAMU

Code 6

BRAMAR

ITIS

176996

Breeding Location:

Forests, coniferous, Mountains, Marshes, freshwater, Swamps, Grasslands

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Green yellow, black brown spots

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

27 - 30

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

No material added to nest.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

Marbled Murrelet: Small, chubby seabird with dark brown mottled upperparts and paler, white-tipped brown feathers on underparts, giving a wavy-barred appearance. Bill is dark. Sexes are similar. Winter adult has dark brown-black upperparts, a white stripe on the scapulars, and white underparts. Juvenile is similar to winter adult but duller and shows faint brown barring on sides and neck.

Range and Habitat

Marbled Murrelet: Breeds from the Aleutians Islands south to central California. A few winter along breeding coasts, but main wintering area is unknown. Preferred breeding habitat is in coastal rain forests and inland waters.

Breeding and Nesting

Marbled Murrelet: One light green yellow egg, spotted with brown and black, is laid on a platform of moss built high in a forest tree. Incubation ranges from 27 to 30 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Marbled Murrelet: Eats small fish, crustaceans, and squid; forages by diving from the surface.

Vocalization

Marbled Murrelet: Makes a sharp "keer" or lower "kee."

Similar Species

Marbled Murrelet: Kittlitz's Murrelet has a white belly and white outer tail feathers. Long-billed Murrelet lacks white collar in winter plumage.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Scapulars

Short feathers in the area where the bird’s back and wings join.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America