Common murres

The common murre, Uria aalge, is also called the common guillemot or thin-billed murre. This large auk is found circumpolar in low-arctic and boreal waters of the North Atlantic and North Pacific. It breeds in high-density colonies on tocky cliffs or islands, and otherwise spends most of its time at sea. Murres lay a single egg on a bare rock ledge (no nest). Some individuals, called "brindled guillemots", such as in the last image here, have a white eye ring and a whiteline extending back from the eye.

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Last modified 13 June 2016