Birds · Charadriiformes · Alcidae

Ancient Murrelet

Synthliboramphus antiquus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The ancient murrelet is an auk of the North Pacific with a black head, a grey back and fine white feathers above the eyes that give it a grey-haired look, which is where its name comes from. It breeds in burrows dug beneath the forest on North Pacific islands, and its chicks leave the nest at two or three days old to join their parents at sea.

Weight

180 g – 250 g

Size

24 cm – 27 cm

Lifespan

15 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

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Fun facts

Its chicks leave the burrow two or three days after hatching and run down through the forest to the sea, guided by their parents calling from the water: a night-time journey of hundreds of metres for a chick a few days old.
Its name refers to the fine white feathers on its head, which recall the grey hair of an older person.
Introduced rats and raccoons have wiped out its colonies on several North Pacific islands, and its recovery on Haida Gwaii after the eradications is a benchmark case in Canada.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: The North Pacific; breeds in burrows on wooded islands of Alaska, Canada, Russia and Japan
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: 33 days
Litter / clutch size: 2

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthliboramphus_antiquus