Everything about The Marbled Murrelet totally explained
The
Marbled Murrelet (
Brachyramphus marmoratus) is a small
seabird from the
North Pacific. It is a member of the
auk family. It nests in old-growth
forests or on the ground at higher latitudes where trees can't grow. 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 described. The Marbled Murrelet has experienced declines in their numbers since humans began logging their nest trees beginning in the latter half of the 1800s. The decline of the Marbled Murrelet and its association with old-growth forests have made it a flagship species in the forest preservation movement.
Description
The Marbled Murrelet is a small (25 cm), chunky auk with a slender black bill. It has pointed wings and
plumage that varies by season. The non-breeding plumage is typically white underneath with a black crown, nape, wings and back. The bird closely resembles its closest relative, the Long-billed Murrelet. In fact, these species were considered conspecific up until 1998. They are virtually identical. In breeding plumage, both have a brown mottled body and face. The Long-billed has a pale white throat, lacking in the Marbled. In winter plumage, the Marbled Murrelet has a white neck collar, absent in Long-billed. The Marbled Murrelet is shorter billed and slightly smaller than the Long-billed Murrelet.
Behaviour and breeding
The Marbled Murrelet feeds at sea both in
pelagic offshore areas (often associating with
upwellings) and inshore in protected bays. It feeds principally on
sandeels, also taking
herring,
capelin and
shiner perch. The bird hasn't been known to wander from of the Pacific coast of North America, all inland and eastern
Brachyramphus records being of the closely related
Long-billed Murrelet.
The breeding behaviour of the Marbled Murrelet is very unusual, unlike seabirds outside its genus it doesn't nest in colonies, instead it nests on branches of old-growth and mature
conifers such as
Western Hemlock,
Sitka Spruce and
Douglas Fir, as far as 80 km inland. It lays one
egg on a platform of
lichen or
moss on these branches (less often on the ground). The egg is incubated for a month, then fed for around 40 days until the chick is able to
fledge. The chick then leaves the nest and flies unaccompanied to the sea. Breeding success is low and chick mortality high.
Marbled Murrelets and humans
The Marbled Murrelet is considered globally threatened, with some evidence of decline across its range over the last few decades. The biggest threat to the murrelet was long considered to be loss of old growth forest to
logging but other factors including high predation rates due to human disturbances and climate-driven changes in ocean conditions are now considered important.
Scientists at Redwood National Park have established a connection between human presence in murrelet territory and corvid predation of marbled murrelet chicks. Corvid populations, such as Steller's jays, crows, and ravens, are expanding into old-growth forests, lured by food scraps left by campers and hikers. As a result, marbled murrelet nests are no longer safe in areas where predator species are now found.
The populations in Washington, Oregon and California were listed as
threatened in
1992 by the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service due to concerns about loss of nesting
habitat, entanglement in
fishing gear and
oil spills. The remaining populations (Alaska and Canada) are currently under review. The species became a flagship species in efforts to prevent the logging of old-growth forests along the Pacific coast from
California to
Alaska.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Marbled Murrelet'.
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