Home › Aves › Alcidae › Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus)
SPECIES PROFILE
Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus)
Brachyramphus
IUCN STATUS
Threatened
CONSERVATION STATUS
Threatened
CLASS
Aves
GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE
Pacific coast from Alaska to central California; BC's population depends on old-growth forests on Vancouver Island and the mainland coast
DIET
Carnivore
HABITAT
Nests in old-growth Douglas-fir and cedar forests; forages in nearshore marine waters
🔬 Classification
PHYLUM
Chordata
CLASS
Aves
ORDER
Charadriiformes
FAMILY
Alcidae
GENUS
Brachyramphus
📋 Description
SIZE
24–25 cm; 190–260 g
COLORATION
Summer: dark brown streaked with white underneath; winter: black above with white below and a distinctive white neck patch
ADAPTATIONS
Nests in old-growth forests up to 50 km inland using large moss-covered branches with no nest construction; feeds exclusively at sea
🌿 Ecology
HABITAT
Nests in old-growth Douglas-fir and cedar forests; forages in nearshore marine waters
DIET
Carnivore
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
Pacific coast from Alaska to central California; BC's population depends on old-growth forests on Vancouver Island and the mainland coast
REPRODUCTION
Lays a single egg on a wide moss-covered branch or natural platform in old-growth trees; no nest built; both parents incubate for 30 days
DIET DETAILS
Small schooling fish including sand lance, herring, and smelt, plus krill caught by pursuit-diving
⚠️ Threats & Conservation
PRIMARY THREATS
Old-growth logging eliminating nesting sites; oil spills and gill-net bycatch at sea; corvid predation at nests
💡 Interesting Facts
1
The Marbled Murrelet is unique among seabirds in nesting in old-growth forests far inland; the first confirmed Canadian nest was not found until 1990.
2
This species is an indicator of old-growth forest health; its decline tracks directly with the loss of large structurally complex conifers along the BC coast.
🔭 Sighting Guide
📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT
Pacific Rim National Park near Tofino, BC, offers offshore Marbled Murrelet flocks in late summer
Carmanah Walbran Provincial Park on Vancouver Island, BC, has old-growth nest habitat and dawn flight activity
Clayoquot Sound near Tofino, BC, is a stronghold for both coastal foraging and old-growth nesting
🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT
June and July for glimpses of adults flying to nest sites at dawn; August and September offshore near Tofino and Ucluelet for post-breeding flocks.
🎯 SIGHTING TIPS
Year-round coastal. Look for them resting on the ocean off Pacific Rim National Park; listen for keer calls at dawn in old-growth forests in June and July.
