The thick-billed murre, aka Brünnich’s guillemot, is a species of bird in the auk family. They can be found among the polar and sub-polar regions of the Northern Hemisphere. These birds are vulnerable to changes in climate, with populations declining in response to sea surface temperature changes of very subtle amounts. This is very likely due to the subsequent changes in prey availability and are aggravated by the loss of upper trophic level fish and whales due to food-web disruption. Hunting is unregulated throughout Greenland, Newfoundland, and Labrador and is thought to have resulted in population declines, as shown in Greenland. Death from bycatch has been widely documented throughout their range, especially in the salmon drift-net fishery, which was previously responsible for a very high rate of bycatch, although this has decreased in recent years due to the introduction of new regulations and reduction of fishing efforts. That all being said, these birds are abundant throughout their range and are thus listed as Least Concern by the IUCN. Their population trend is listed as increasing as well.
First the Stats…
Scientific name: Uria lomvia
Weight: Up to 52.2 ounces
Length: Up to 19 inches
Wingspan: Up to 32 inches
Lifespan: Up to 37 years
Now on to the Facts!
1.) These auks were first formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus.
2.) They spend all of their lives at sea in waters which stay below 41ºF, only coming to land during mating season.
3.) In the western Atlantic, they have ranges as far south as Florida, and in the Pacific as far as California.
4.) These sea birds form mass breeding colonies, often composed of over a million breeding birds, on narrow ledges as well as steep cliffs that face the water.
5.) They have the smallest breeding territory of any bird, requiring less than 1 square foot per individual.
But wait, there’s more on the thick-billed murre!
6.) Like other species of auks, these birds forage for food by using their short wings to ‘swim’ underwater.
7.) Females lay a single egg that hatches in up to 35 days.
Did you know…?
They can swim to depths of up to 492 feet, and can hold their breath for up to 4 minutes.
8.) Cod, capelin, crustaceans, and mollusks are all on the menu.
9.) Gulls and ravens attack unattended chicks and eggs.
10.) Egg harvesting and hunting of adult birds are still considered major threats in Greenland, where populations fell steeply between circa 1960s and 1980s.
11.) In extremely warm years, mosquitoes, as well as high temperatures kill some individuals and their chick.
Now a Short Thick-Billed Murre Video!
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Some source material acquired from: Wikipedia & IUCN
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