Marbled Murrelet

Brachyramphus marmoratus (Gmelin, JF, 1789)

Marbled Murrelet, Brachyramphus marmoratus, breeds along the temperate Pacific coast of North America from the Aleutian Islands to central California, with nesting sites reaching up to 100 km inland, and it moves south to coastal southern California outside the breeding season. It is a member of the auk family and is a coastal seabird of the North Pacific. Its nesting is tied to mature and old-growth forest, especially in the southern part of its range, where it uses trees rather than open ground. The species was first described in 1789 by Gmelin.

Order

Charadriiformes

Family

Alcidae — Auks

Breeding range

North America: coastal strip of temperate c, e North Pacific: Aleutian Is. to c California; nests up to 100 km inland

Nonbreeding range

to coastal s California