Newsletter / Blog
2011-09-02 Common Murre chicks had hatched on the Channel Islands for the first time since 1912.
Researchers
recently discovered that Common Murre chicks had hatched on the Channel Islands for the first time since 1912.
The Channel
Islands of California are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean
off the coast of Southern California.
Five of the islands make up the Channel
Islands National Park.
The Common Murre
or Common Guillemot (Uria aalge) is a football-sized seabird with “tuxedo”
plumage similar to penguins, but capable of flying as well as diving underwater
to depths of 500 feet. It spends most of its time at sea, only coming to land
to breed on rocky cliff shores or islands.
Historically,
murres nested on Prince Island, a small islet off San
Miguel Island
within Channel Islands
National Park. This
colony disappeared nearly a century ago, likely a result of human disturbance
and egg harvesting.
Common Murres
have fast direct flight but are not very agile. They are more manoeuvrable
underwater, typically diving to depths of 30–60 m (100–200 ft), and
depths of up to 180 m (600 ft) have been recorded.
Common Murres
breed in colonies at high densities, nesting pairs may be in bodily contact
with their neighbours. They make no nest, their single egg is incubated on bare
rock. Eggs hatch after ~30 days incubation. The chick is born downy and can
regulate its body temperature after 10 days. They leave the nest site in around
20 days accompanied by the male parent. Chicks cannot fly when they leave the
nest but are capable of diving as soon as they hit the water. The female stays
at the nest site about 14 days after the chick has left.
Both male and
female Common Murres moult after breeding and become flightless for 1–2 months.
In southern populations they occasionally return to the nest site throughout
the winter. Northern populations spend the winter farther from their colonies.
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