Ancient Murrelet (Synthliboramphus antiquus)

Ancient Murrelet

[order] CHARADRIIFORMES | [family] Alcidae | [latin] Synthliboramphus antiquus | [UK] Ancient Murrelet | [FR] Guillemot a cou blanc | [DE] Silberalk | [ES] Mergulo Antiguo | [NL] Zilveralk

Subspecies

Genus Species subspecies Breeding Range Breeding Range 2 Non Breeding Range
Synthliboramphus antiquus EU, NA n Pacific coasts n PO
Synthliboramphus antiquus antiquus ne Asia, the Aleutian Is. to s Alaska
Synthliboramphus antiquus microrhynchos Commander Is. (se Russia)

Physical charateristics

A small, stocky bird, the Ancient Murrelet is slate-gray above, with gray and white sides and a white belly. The head is black, and the bill is pale. White on the throat extends back and up to the ears. During the breeding season, the throat is black, with a white band at the neck. The eyebrow is accented with white feathers at this time.

Listen to the sound of Ancient Murrelet

[audio:http://www.aviflevoland.nl/sounddb/A/Ancient Murrelet.mp3]

Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto

wingspan min.: 41 cm wingspan max.: 43 cm
size min.: 23 cm size max.: 25 cm
incubation min.: 33 days incubation max.: 35 days
fledging min.: 0 days fledging max.: 35 days
broods: 1   eggs min.: 1  
      eggs max.: 2  

Range

Eurasia, North America : North Pacific coasts

Habitat

Ancient Murrelets spend most of the time on cold-water seas. They forage over the edge of the continental shelf, and also closer to shore, especially in areas where tidal currents bring food up to the surface. They nest on islands or inland in dense forests with thick moss but little underbrush.

Reproduction

In spring, Ancient Murrelets gather on their colonial breeding grounds. They spend their days at sea, and visit the breeding grounds by night. Early in the breeding season, males arrive after sunset each night and find a suitable perch from which to “sing” to potential mates-highly unusual behavior for a seabird. Once paired, the birds dig a burrow in soft soil, often among tree roots or in some other concealed area. The female lays two elongated, buff colored eggs, which are incubated by both parents for up to 33 days.
Once hatched, Ancient Murrelet chicks are fully feathered and able to move about almost immediately. They spend up to three days in the burrow without being fed. They are then coaxed out by the parents, and make their way to the sea by night. This seaward journey often takes place en masse, as many sets of chicks within the colony may depart for the sea simultaneously. The burrow is often high on a steep, densely forested coastal slope. From here, the tiny chicks undertake a long, dark, descending scramble to the crashing surf below. Once at sea, the chicks are able swimmers, and locate their respective parents via voice recognition. Once reunited, family groups move out to sea, where the parents feed the chicks for at least a month, at which point they are fully grown.

Feeding habits

Small fish, krill, and shrimp make up most of the Ancient Murrelet’s diet

Conservation

This species has a very large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). Despite the fact that the population trend appears to be decreasing, the decline is not believed to be sufficiently rapid to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is extremely large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
The breeding range of the Ancient Murrelet extends around the entire northern Pacific Rim, stretching from the Sea of Japan to British Columbia. In North America, its breeding range spans Alaska’s Aleutian Islands and southern mainland coast, as far south as Vancouver Island. In the Aleutians, the species can be locally common, breeding in over 50 locations. British Columbia, however, is home to at least half of the global population. In winter, the Ancient Murrelet can be found in coastal waters as far south as southern California. The Ancient Murrelet may be far more common in the North American portion of its range.
Ancient Murrelet status Least Concern

Migration

Post-breeding dispersal somewhat limited, some birds remaining within breeding range. Rapid exodus from N British Columbia Jul-Sept, with Marked S movement in Oct in both W and E Pacific, S to California (arrives late Oct) and to Japan and Korea (high numbers present Dec-Mar). Dispersal generally limited to short distances except in Sea of Okhotsk, where birds forced out by winter ice. Returns to breeding areas at least a month before laying begins. Details of winter distribution and movements are lacking throughout range.

Distribution map

Ancient Murrelet distribution range map

Literature

Title A NEW LONGEVITY RECORD FOR THE ANCIENT MURRELET
SYNTHLIBORAMPHUS ANTIQUUS
Author(s): AKIKO SHOJI & ANTHONY J. GASTON
Abstract: The Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus is ..[more]..
Source: Marine Ornithology 36: 197-198 (2008)

download full text (pdf)

Title RECOVERY OF THE ANCIENT MURRELET SYNTHLIBORAMPHUS
ANTIQUUS COLONY ON LANGARA ISLAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA,
FOLLOWING ERADICATION OF INVASIVE RATS
Author(s): HEIDI M. REGEHR et al
Abstract: Ancient Murrelets Synthliboramphus antiquus were n..[more]..
Source: Marine Ornithology 35: 137-144 (2007)

download full text (pdf)

Title Resource Equivalency Analysis for Auklets & Ancient Murrelet
New Carissa Spill, February 1999
Author(s): Kristin E. Skrabis
Abstract: The New Carissa oil spill killed approximately 588..[more]..
Source: US Fish & Wildlife Service, 2005

download full text (pdf)

Title Mass and date at departure affect the survival of Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus chicks after leaving the colony
Author(s): ANTHONY J. GASTON
Abstract: I compared the timing of colony departure and body..[more]..
Source: IBIS 739: 673-678, 1997

download full text (pdf)

Title THE POPULATION AND EVOLUTIONARY GENETICS OF THE ANCIENT
MURRELET (SYNTHLIBORAMPHUS ANTIQUUS): A SUMMARY
Author(s): R.L. Pearce et al
Abstract: Genetic data can help answer questions about the b..[more]..
Source: Laskeek_Bay_Research, 1999

download full text (pdf)

Title THE VOCAL REPERTOIRE OF THE ANCIENT MURRELET
Author(s): IAN L. JONES et al
Abstract: We investigated the vocalizations of the Ancient M..[more]..
Source: The Condor 9 1:699-110, 1989

download full text (pdf)

Title COLONY DEPARTURE OF FAMILY GROUPS OF ANCIENT MURRELETS
Author(s): IAN L. JONES et al
Abstract: The behavior of young seabirds at departure from t..[more]..
Source: The Condor 89:940-943, 1997

download full text (pdf)

Title The Roles of Introduced Rats and Commercial Fishing
in the Decline of Ancient Murrelets on Langara Island,,
British Columbia
Author(s): DOUGLAS F. BERTRAM
Abstract: We examined the decline of Ancient Murrelets (Synt..[more]..
Source: Conservation Biology, Pages 865-872 Volume 9, No. 4, August 1995

download full text (pdf)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *