Difference between revisions of "Common murre"
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| − | [[Image:Common_murre.jpg|thumb|300px]]The '''common murre''' (''Uria alge'') is a sea bird. About 10 million breed in the northern parts of the [[Pacific]] and [[Atlantic]] Oceans. In [[Europe]] they are known as guillemots. The name murre probably comes from the birds call, which sounds like ''murr''. Many of the features of murres’ life history show just how difficult life at sea is. Murres breed for the first time when they’re five or six years old and lay only one egg in a clutch, probably because the difficulty of finding food means that they are able to feed only one chick. Both parents take turns incubating the egg on a bare rock ledge, and the egg is specially shaped (like a pear) so that it does not roll off the ledge. Each egg is | + | [[Image:Common_murre.jpg|thumb|300px]]The '''common murre''' (''Uria alge'') is a sea bird. About 10 million breed in the northern parts of the [[Pacific]] and [[Atlantic]] Oceans. In [[Europe]] they are known as guillemots. The name murre probably comes from the birds call, which sounds like ''murr''. Many of the features of murres’ life history show just how difficult life at sea is. Murres breed for the first time when they’re five or six years old and lay only one egg in a clutch, probably because the difficulty of finding food means that they are able to feed only one chick. Both parents take turns incubating the egg on a bare rock ledge, and the egg is specially shaped (like a pear) so that it does not roll off the ledge. Each egg is individually marked, so that the incubating bird can recognize her own egg among many others. Common murres can fly 200 kilometers from the nest to find food for their chicks, and may dive as deep as 100 meters for food, but 70 kilometers and 50 meters are probably more typical maximums. Murres feed their chicks three to five fish a day, and adults eat mostly fish too, but they may also consume zooplankton, squid and crustaceans.<ref>http://www.absc.usgs.gov/research/seabird_foragefish/seabirds/flash_cards/common_murre.html</ref>[[Image:Common_murre2.jpg|thumb|300px]] After only 14-20 days on the ledge, the young murre leaps into the sea (before it can even fly) and swims away from the colony, normally accompanied by its father.<ref>http://www.beachconnection.net/news/murr1006_2314.htm</ref> |
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Revision as of 17:20, March 21, 2008
The common murre (Uria alge) is a sea bird. About 10 million breed in the northern parts of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. In Europe they are known as guillemots. The name murre probably comes from the birds call, which sounds like murr. Many of the features of murres’ life history show just how difficult life at sea is. Murres breed for the first time when they’re five or six years old and lay only one egg in a clutch, probably because the difficulty of finding food means that they are able to feed only one chick. Both parents take turns incubating the egg on a bare rock ledge, and the egg is specially shaped (like a pear) so that it does not roll off the ledge. Each egg is individually marked, so that the incubating bird can recognize her own egg among many others. Common murres can fly 200 kilometers from the nest to find food for their chicks, and may dive as deep as 100 meters for food, but 70 kilometers and 50 meters are probably more typical maximums. Murres feed their chicks three to five fish a day, and adults eat mostly fish too, but they may also consume zooplankton, squid and crustaceans.[1]
After only 14-20 days on the ledge, the young murre leaps into the sea (before it can even fly) and swims away from the colony, normally accompanied by its father.[2]