Synthliboramphus scrippsi
Scripps's Murrelet is a small, compact seabird belonging to the Alcid family, characterized by its distinctive dark gray-black upperparts, pristine white underparts, and a small, stout black bill. A key identification feature is the prominent white crescent visible above and behind its eye, differentiating it from its former conspecific, the Guadalupe Murrelet. Measuring around 25 cm (10 inches) in length with a wingspan of approximately 40 cm (16 inches) and weighing about 170g, it exhibits ...
This pelagic seabird spends most of its life at sea, breeding exclusively on remote, predator-free offshore islands, utilizing rocky crevices, natural burrows, or dense vegetation for nesting.
Their diet consists primarily of small schooling fish such as anchovies and sardines, supplemented by marine invertebrates like krill and squid, all captured through pursuit-diving.
Scripps's Murrelets are largely nocturnal at their breeding colonies, an adaptation to avoid avian and terrestrial predators, but are diurnal when foraging at sea. They employ a pursuit-diving strategy, using their wings to propel themselves underwater to capture prey, often foraging individually...
The breeding range of Scripps's Murrelet is restricted to a series of offshore islands along the coasts of Southern California, USA, and Baja California, Mexico. Key breeding sites include the California Channel Islands (e.g., Santa Barbara, Anacapa, San Clemente) and numerous Mexican islands suc...
Vulnerable
- Scripps's Murrelet chicks are among the most precocial of all birds, leaving their nest just 1-3 days after hatching. - The chicks, unable to fly, make a perilous nocturnal journey from their nest site to the open ocean, guided by their parents' calls. - They were historically considered the no...