Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia)

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A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.

Return to Eastern Alcids

Color Photographs: © Corel Corp.

Color Photograph: U.S. Geological Survey

Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia)

Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 18 inches.

Summer Plumage: Summer Plumage: Head, neck, and back black. Bill relatively broad and triangular. Face with a white line running from the base of the bill to below the eye. Breast and undersides white. Upper margin of breast triangular with a white triangle extending into the base of the throat.

Winter Plumage: Similar to the summer plumage, but throat and cheeks of the head white.

Similar Species:  The summer plumage of Thick-billed Murre is similar to the Common Murre. However the white line stretching from the base of the bill to below the line is distinct. The bill is shorter and thicker than that of the Common Murre. The winter plumage birds of these two species can sometimes be difficult to tell apart. However the difference is bill shapes still holds. In addition the white markings on the side of the head are less extensive in the Thick-billed Murre are less extensive and this species lacks a fine black line extending backward from the eye. The Razorbill has a larger, flattened bill with a white ring around it and a hooked tip.

Breeding Range (see map below): The Thick-billed Murre breeds along the eastern rocky coasts of Labrador, western Newfoundland, and the eastern Arctic Islands of Canada. The species also nests on the western coast of Alaska. The Thick-billed Murre is also found in northern Europe and Asia.

Overwintering Range:  This species overwinters on the open ocean along the southern coast of Alaska and along the Atlantic coast from Greenland, southward to New Jersey.

Habitat: The Thick-billed Murre breeds on rocky coastlines and cliffs. The species spends the rest of its time on open ocean along both the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts.

Food: Fish, squid, and crustaceans.

Behavior: The Thick-billed Murre is a penguin-like bird and is both an excellent swimmer and diver, chasing its prey underwater. Occasionally the bird is seen on the Great Lakes or other large, inland lakes. This species nests in dense colonies of cliffs and rocky shores.

Reproduction:  The clutch consists of a single brown-blotched blue-green egg. The egg is laid on a rocky ledge without a nest.