Creature Feature: Marbled Murrelet
Pacific Seabird Group monthly initiative: the Creature Feature! Each month, PSG will highlight a different species and provide some fascinating facts along the way.
This month, we’re highlighting the marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus), a small alcid found along the Pacific coast from the Aleutians to California. They nest in old growth forests and are endangered due to deforestation.
🌊 Habitat
Found from the Aleutian Islands to central and southern California, marbled murrelets spend most of their time foraging for small fish and invertebrates in nearshore waters. Each spring, they move inland to nest in old-growth forests, where they lay just a single egg in a season.
🌱 Conservation
Conservation Status: Endangered. Deforestation of critical old-growth forests is the biggest conservation threat facing marbled murrelets. Predation, unsustainable fishing practices, and ocean warming are additional factors contributing to their population decline.
✨ Fun Fact
Marbled murrelets don’t actually build their nests. Instead, they lay their eggs in depressions of thick mats of moss or lichen found on tree branches or the ground.
Photo credit: Marbled murrelet, Robin Corcoran/USFWS, Public Domain, https://www.fws.gov/media/marbled-murrelet-2
