Uria lomvia
The Thick-billed Murre, *Uria lomvia*, is a quintessential Arctic seabird, instantly recognizable by its stocky, penguin-like build and striking black-and-white plumage. Measuring 40-48 cm in length with a wingspan of 64-81 cm and weighing 730-1480g, its dark upperparts contrast sharply with its pristine white belly. A key identifying feature is its robust, dark bill, marked by a distinct pale streak along the gape, which gives the species its common name and differentiates it from its close ...
This pelagic species primarily inhabits cold, high-latitude marine waters, coming ashore only to breed on steep, barren coastal cliffs and rocky islands, ranging from sea level to high elevations on large colonies.
Primarily piscivorous, their diet consists mainly of small schooling fish such as capelin, cod, and arctic cod, supplemented by crustaceans like amphipods and euphausiids, and occasionally squid, all captured through expert pursuit diving.
Thick-billed Murres are highly social and diurnal, spending the majority of their lives on the open ocean but forming immense, noisy colonies on precipitous cliffs during the breeding season. They are expert pursuit divers, using their powerful wings to 'fly' underwater, efficiently hunting fish ...
The Thick-billed Murre boasts a circumpolar Arctic and subarctic distribution, making it one of the most widespread seabirds of the Northern Hemisphere. During the breeding season, massive colonies are found across North America, including coastal Alaska, the Canadian Arctic archipelago, Greenlan...
Least Concern
- The Thick-billed Murre is one of the deepest-diving Alcids, regularly plunging to depths exceeding 100 meters (330 feet) and recorded as deep as 210 meters (690 feet) in pursuit of prey. - Its single, pear-shaped egg is an ingenious adaptation; if disturbed, it spins in a tight circle rather th...