Saturday 15 June
Crested murrelet (Synthliboramphus wumizusume)
VULNERABLECrested murrelet fact file
- Description
- Biology
- Range
- Habitat
- Status
- Threats
- Conservation
- Find out more
- Glossary
- References
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Crested murrelet description
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Charadriiformes |
| Family | Alcidae |
| Genus | Synthliboramphus (1) |
A small, plump bird, the crested murrelet has black and bluish-grey upperparts, fading to greyish flanks and a white throat and underparts. During the summer, the feathers of the head and the crest darken to black, and white stripes run from the top of the eyes to the nape of the neck. This species has yellow-grey feet and legs. Juveniles are browner than adults (2).
- Also known as
- Japanese murrelet.
- Size
- Length: 26 cm (2)
- BirdLife International. (2001) Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
- By-catch
- In the fishing industry, the part of the catch made up of non-target species.
- Colonies
- A group of organisms living together. Individuals in the group are not physiologically connected and may not be related, such as a colony of birds.
- Pelagic
- Inhabiting the open oceans.
- Zooplankton
- Aquatic animals that drift with water movements.
- IUCN Red List (May, 2008)
http://www.iucnredlist.org - BirdLife International (May, 2005)
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/search/species_search.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=3314&m=0 - Global Register of Migratory Species (May, 2008)
http://www.groms.de - Explore Animals (May, 2005)
http://www.explore-animals.com/animals/A/Auk.html - BirdLife International. (2001) Threatened Birds of Asia: the BirdLife International Red Data Book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
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Crested murrelet biology
Built for swimming and diving, the crested murrelet has short wings that it must flap rapidly in order to stay airborne (4). It feeds on small fish and zooplankton just beneath the water surface (5).
This auk species nests in pairs, small groups and even large colonies (2) scratching a shallow depression in the ground for egg-laying (5). The breeding season varies with location, but is usually between mid February and early May. The female lays two eggs, the second a week after the first, and these hatch after 34 days of incubation (5).
TopCrested murrelet range
Breeding on uninhabited islands off the southern coasts of Japan and South Korea, the crested murrelet enjoys the warm climate of this area, which is created by the Kuroshio Current. In the non-breeding season, the crested murrelet migrates to the northernmost islands of Japan (2).
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TopCrested murrelet habitat
This species breeds on rocky islets and headlands, foraging in offshore waters. In winter, it is more pelagic, spending much of the time far from land (2).
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Species found in a similar habitat
Crested murrelet status
The crested murrelet is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List 2007 (1) and is listed on Appendix I of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS or Bonn Convention) (3).
Crested murrelet threats
The crested murrelet faces a large number of threats from many sources. It is preyed upon by the introduced black rat (Rattus rattus), and by gulls and crows that are attracted to the islands by waste from fishing operations. Drift nets are known to cause high adult mortality, and sport fishing contributes to disturbance and habitat degradation, reducing breeding success. It is also possible that fish stocks in the area are declining due to changes in water temperature (2).
TopCrested murrelet conservation
Protected in Japan, several of the breeding sites of the crested murrelet are also designated as National Wildlife Protection Areas. Gugul Islet, South Korea, which is home to this species, has been designated as a Natural Monument. In Japan a leaflet has been produced to inform fishermen of the plight of the crested murrelet, but ideally, sport fishing needs to be prevented at crested murrelet breeding sites and drift nets should be re-designed to reduce by-catch (2).
|
View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. |
Find out more
For further information on the crested murrelet see:
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This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact: arkive@wildscreen.org.ukTopGlossary
References
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Image credit
Crested murrelet swimming on ocean surface
© Mike Danzenbaker / www.avesphoto.com
Mike Danzenbaker
http://www.avesphoto.com
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