Thick-billed Murre

Uria lomvia (Linnaeus, 1758)

Thick-billed Murre Uria lomvia breeds across the Arctic and sub-Arctic coasts of North America and the Palearctic, and moves south in winter to waters below the pack-ice, reaching coastal New York. It is an auk in the family Alcidae. The bird nests in huge cliff colonies on narrow ledges, and each pair lays one egg a year. It has a long, pointed bill, with a thicker and shorter shape than the common murre, plus a white gape stripe. Adults are black above with white underparts, and the lower face turns white in winter.

Order

Charadriiformes

Family

Alcidae — Auks

Breeding range

North America, Palearctic: Holarctic, high and low Arctic (locally temperate) coasts

Nonbreeding range

s of pack-ice, to coastal New York