Comments on: The Common Murre https://critter.science/the-common-murre/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-common-murre Animal Facts and Education Tue, 11 Nov 2025 07:31:18 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 By: Critterman https://critter.science/the-common-murre/#comment-504 Tue, 11 Nov 2025 07:29:48 +0000 https://critter.science/?p=22570#comment-504 In reply to John Piatt.

Thanks for your response, John. I have updated the article to reflect the food intake. Yes, that was a mistaken unit. I also mention the die-offs.

]]> By: John Piatt https://critter.science/the-common-murre/#comment-503 Mon, 10 Nov 2025 21:46:21 +0000 https://critter.science/?p=22570#comment-503 Nice job on the murre summary. A couple of suggestions: You say that populations are increasing, but that is only true in a few locations. In the Pacific, populations have declined throughout much of their range, and overall the entire population has declined markedly. In the Atlantic, murres have increased in several colonies in eastern Canada, but populations in Europe have tanked in many colonies, especially around Scotland and in the North, Norwegian and Barents seas. Other minor points: Yes murres are fast flyers, indeed perhaps the fastest flyer among northern seabirds. That’s because their wing surface area is reduced to enhance under water ‘flight’. Like jet fighter planes, small wing area demands higher speeds to create lift. Finally, you say murres eat 1.125 ounces of food per day. I’m guessing that’s a mistaken unit, since they eat more like 1.1 POUNDS of food a day. Murres have extraordinary metabolic demands, and depending on season and activities, eat about 30-50% of their own body mass per day. That’s one reason why mass die-offs occur regularly in this species, because if they can’t get food for 3-5 days they die. Anyways, just a few minor points to consider updating.

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