Dense breeding colonies of Common Murres often reach tens of thousands of individuals, making this one of the more abundant seabirds along the rocky coastlines of eastern and western North America. Fully-grown, murres are larger than murrelets and auklets with a long chisel-shaped bill. Recently-fledged young are about half the size of an adult with a much smaller bill, which can cause them to be mistakenly identified as a smaller alcid species. Breeding adults are cleanly delineated dark chocolate-brown and white below, with dark wings, head and throat, and white underparts. At a distance or under overcast skies the upperparts look black, but in good light or at close range they are brown above. In winter, the throat and cheeks are white, leaving a dark stripe tapering off behind the eye. Juveniles, which are almost always seen in the company of an adult, look like a minature version of a winter adult with more gray in the face. Thick-billed Murre, in Alaska and Canada, has more jet-black plumage, shorter bill, and a white line along the gape.

Length: 45 (cm) Wingspan: 66 (cm)

Voice:

High-pitched growl near nest site; silent at sea. Juvenile's piercing begging whistle is often heard after young have gone to sea.

Habitat:

Open ocean, coastal areas, and sea cliffs.

Behavior:

Nests colonially, laying eggs on a bare rocky ledge. Eggs speckled with a wide variety of colors and patterns. Murres fly in loose lines strung out over water's surface, often with other alcids. Young are highly dependent for many weeks after fledgling. They remain in close proximity to adults into the fall months and their whistled begging calls are incessant.

Feeding:

Dives and swims to catch fish.