Alcids

Common Murre, Uria aalge

Family Alcidae (Alcids)

Size: 17.5"

Season: Winter

Habitat: Open coastal waters; steep, rocky offshore cliffs

Alcids are the Northern Hemisphere’s version of penguins. The common murre is a sleek, thin alcid with a short tail and wings and a sloping forehead leading to a narrow, pointed bill. It is black above and on the head and is white below, with dark webbed feet. In winter plumage the white of the breast extends up to the chin and to the back of the eyes. Common murres dive and swim underwater, propelled by their stiff, short wings, to catch fish and squid. Their voice is a rattling, muffled murr sound. They breed in huge crowded colonies on steep, rocky cliffs. The nonbreeding adult (left) and breeding adult (right) are illustrated.