{"id":46,"date":"2015-11-01T04:37:04","date_gmt":"2015-11-01T04:37:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/studentblogs.viu.ca\/ornithology\/?p=4"},"modified":"2017-08-23T17:31:57","modified_gmt":"2017-08-23T17:31:57","slug":"introduction-to-marbled-murrelets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/2015\/11\/01\/introduction-to-marbled-murrelets\/","title":{"rendered":"Introduction to Marbled Murrelets"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"marbled<\/p>\n

Non-breeding plumage of Marbled Murrelet Photo credit: Robin Corcoran<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Description<\/strong><\/p>\n

Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus<\/em>) are small water birds that are members of the Aclidae Family, which includes puffins and Auklets. When in breeding plumage, these birds appear with a dark brown body with a lighter brown chest and collar. Their non-breading plumage is more striking: white throat and belly with a dark back, wing and head. They have a white collar going around the back of the head and a partial darker collar going down from the base of the neck into the breast. They were given threatened status in 1990 in British Columbia, but this varies over their range. For example they are considered localy
\n<\/a>endangered in California<\/p>\n

Distribution<\/strong><\/p>\n

Marbled Murrelets are found in coastal waters and range from northern Alaska as far south as California.<\/p>\n

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\"range<\/p>\n

Distribution of the Marbled Murrelet Photo credit: All About Birds<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Breeding<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"Breeding<\/p>\n

A pair of Marbled Murrelets in breeding plumage Photo credit Robin Corcoran<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Breeding season lasts from May through September, at which time the fledglings leave the nest to begin foraging in the ocean. During this time breeding plumage is displayed. What makes Marbled Murrelets so unique is that they will nest up to 70 Km inland in old growth
\nforest. Nests are made on limbs of Coniferous trees (Cedar, Hemlock, Spruce, and\u00a0Douglas-Fir) where there is plenty of moss. They have to make the long trip from their\u00a0nests to the ocean in order to gather food for their young several times a-day.<\/p>\n

Food
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Marbled Murrelets feed on small fish, such as sand lance and herring, as well as small crustaceans including mysids (a shrimp like animal). They do most of their foraging in shallow sheltered places such as channels and fjords.<\/p>\n

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Interesting facts <\/strong><\/p>\n