Brachyramphus brevirostris
The Kittlitz's Murrelet is a small, stocky seabird belonging to the Alcid family, renowned for its elusive nature and unique nesting habits. Measuring approximately 23-25 cm (9-10 inches) in length with a wingspan of 38-43 cm (15-17 inches) and weighing around 150-200 grams, it is characterized by a short, pointed bill and a distinctive plumage. In its breeding attire, it sports a cryptic, mottled reddish-brown, buff, and black pattern across its head, neck, and upperparts, contrasting with a...
This murrelet primarily inhabits cold, productive marine waters for foraging, and surprisingly, nests on barren, often high-elevation alpine tundra, scree slopes, or moraines near glaciers and icefields, typically within 10 km of the coast.
Their diet consists mainly of small larval and juvenile fish (e.g., sandlance, capelin) and marine invertebrates such as krill, copepods, and amphipods, obtained through agile pursuit-diving.
Kittlitz's Murrelets are primarily diurnal foragers at sea, though their breeding activity, including flights to and from nesting sites, often occurs at dawn or dusk to avoid predators. Foraging involves pursuit-diving for small fish and invertebrates, using their wings for propulsion underwater....
The Kittlitz's Murrelet has a disjunct breeding distribution across the North Pacific, primarily centered in coastal Alaska, particularly Southcentral Alaska (Prince William Sound, Kenai Peninsula) and along the Aleutian and Kodiak archipelagos. Breeding populations also exist in the Russian Far ...
Vulnerable
- Kittlitz's Murrelets are one of the few seabirds known to nest high above the tree line, often on barren, rocky slopes and moraines near glaciers. - Their breeding plumage is an extraordinary example of camouflage, mimicking the mottled appearance of rocks and lichen, making them almost invisib...