The thick-billed murre or Brünnich's guillemot (Uria lomvia) is a bird in the aukfamily (Alcidae). This bird is named after the Danish zoologist Morten Thrane Brünnich. The very deeply black North PacificsubspeciesUria lomvia arra is also called Pallas' murre after its describer. Murres have the highest flight cost, for their body size, of any animal.
Description
Since the extinction of the great auk in the mid-19th century, the murres are the largest living members of the Alcidae. The thick-billed murre and the closely related common guillemot (or common murre, U. aalge) are similarly-sized, but the thick-billed still bests the other species in both average and maximum size. The thick-billed murre measures 40–48cm (16–19in) in total length, spans 64–81cm (25–32in) across the wings and weighs 736–1,481g (26.0–52.2oz). The Pacific race (U. l. arra) is larger than the Atlantic race, especially in bill dimensions.
Adult birds are black on the head, neck, back and wings with white underparts. The bill is long and pointed. They have a small rounded black tail. The lower face becomes white in winter. This species produces a variety of harsh cackling calls at the breeding colonies, but is silent at sea.
Meet the Underwater Torpedo Bird | National Geographic
Murres may be clumsy in the air, but these tiny arctic birds move like torpedoes underwater.
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Meet the Underwater Torpedo Bird | National Geographic
https://youtu.be/nbnJsc-GPaA
National Geographic
https://www.youtube.com/natgeo
published: 18 Sep 2013
Thick-billed Murre
Video by David O. Brown / Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
published: 23 Sep 2016
Thick-billed Murres on the Alkefjellet Cliffs, Svalbard
One of the greatest laws of nature: there’s safety in numbers.
Swirling above the basalt cliffs of Alkefjellet in Svalbard, tens of thousands of Thick-billed Murres gather during the brief summer thaw.
Also known as Brünnich's Guillemots, the birds build nests on the cliff face — out of reach to most predators.
Soaring. Swooping. Swishing. Spinning.
They seem to attack the vast ocean below, as they search for food.
Accomplished divers at just 41cm long, the birds are underwater torpedoes.
They can stay submerged for up to 4 minutes at a time.
These soldiers of the Arctic are constant companions to all those who journey to the region in the summer months.
A bucket-list spectacle, nothing can rival the image of these seabirds, as they swarm in their thousands overhead.
Find out ...
published: 30 Nov 2018
Drama in the high arctic | Leap of faith | Thick Billed Murre
In my recent trip to Svalbard, I had the opportunity to visit the Alkefjellet bird cliffs for what I call - a BBC moment in real life. Thick Billed Murres were nesting on the cliff and what I saw and captured were extra-ordinary phenomena in the wild world. The chicks were fledging and leaving the nests creating an emotionally wrenching scene.
Even though the sequence looks like I followed one chick, it was not the case. It is a collection of many video clips shot from the zodiac.
What happens next is extraordinary. The chick still cannot fly and the father molts his feathers. Both flightless, make an incredible journey to their first wintering grounds hundreds of miles away - by swimming. They swim as far as 600 miles from Greenland to Canada. Here the fatherly duties are over. B...
published: 10 Oct 2022
SOI Arctic 2019: How deep can the thick-billed murre dive?
On the Students on Ice 2019 Arctic Expedition, students were asked, "How deep can the thick-billed murre dive underwater?" Do YOU know? Have a listen to their responses and then hear from Wildlife and Protected Areas Manager Garry Donaldson for the answer!
published: 06 Aug 2019
Thick-Billed Murre Bird: Sea Creature Fun Facts
http://oneworldoneocean.org/seacreaturefunfacts
For more information about polar bears and Arctic wildlife, see the new IMAX® film "To The Arctic 3D" opening in select IMAX Theatres starting April 20, 2012. "To The Arctic 3D" is a MacGillivray Freeman Film from Warner Bros. Pictures and IMAX Corporation. Presented by One World One Ocean Foundation.
published: 21 Feb 2012
Thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) colony on Novaya Zemlya
Testing Canon PowerShot SX60 HS zoom on birds
published: 28 Mar 2017
Thick-billed murres and glaucous gulls nesting together at Coats Island, Nunavut
As the gull's main prey is murre eggs and chicks, this would seem to be a poor arrangement for the murre, but with breeding sites in short supply, the murres take what they can get. Video by Emile Brisson-Curadeau.
published: 17 Mar 2019
Thick-billed murre diving underwater for capelin at Coats Island
Made by Emile Brisson-Curaeau
published: 18 Apr 2018
Thick Billed Murre Bird - Murre Bird Released, CA
A Murre Bird got caught on a fish hook when fishing.... We removed it and safely released it.
The hook penetrated through the thick skin of the bird twice. The barb was through so we cut the hook and rolled it out. I did not want to rip it out. Forcing the barb through the bird would have ripped it's flesh. This was a clean piercing basically, and the bird was fine. It didn't seem that the bird was in much pain. It seemed that is was mostly a little scared. I think it knew we were helping, but it was still freaked out by the whole situation.
It was a really beautiful bird and the feathers and skin were so soft and plush. It was kind of cool to be able to handle one, but hopefully we won't get one snagged up in the future...
Murres may be clumsy in the air, but these tiny arctic birds move like torpedoes underwater.
➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe
About National Geograph...
Murres may be clumsy in the air, but these tiny arctic birds move like torpedoes underwater.
➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe
About National Geographic:
National Geographic is the world's premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure. Through their world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo gets you closer to the stories that matter and past the edge of what's possible.
Get More National Geographic:
Official Site: http://bit.ly/NatGeoOfficialSite
Facebook: http://bit.ly/FBNatGeo
Twitter: http://bit.ly/NatGeoTwitter
Instagram: http://bit.ly/NatGeoInsta
Meet the Underwater Torpedo Bird | National Geographic
https://youtu.be/nbnJsc-GPaA
National Geographic
https://www.youtube.com/natgeo
Murres may be clumsy in the air, but these tiny arctic birds move like torpedoes underwater.
➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe
About National Geographic:
National Geographic is the world's premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure. Through their world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo gets you closer to the stories that matter and past the edge of what's possible.
Get More National Geographic:
Official Site: http://bit.ly/NatGeoOfficialSite
Facebook: http://bit.ly/FBNatGeo
Twitter: http://bit.ly/NatGeoTwitter
Instagram: http://bit.ly/NatGeoInsta
Meet the Underwater Torpedo Bird | National Geographic
https://youtu.be/nbnJsc-GPaA
National Geographic
https://www.youtube.com/natgeo
One of the greatest laws of nature: there’s safety in numbers.
Swirling above the basalt cliffs of Alkefjellet in Svalbard, tens of thousands of Thick-billed M...
One of the greatest laws of nature: there’s safety in numbers.
Swirling above the basalt cliffs of Alkefjellet in Svalbard, tens of thousands of Thick-billed Murres gather during the brief summer thaw.
Also known as Brünnich's Guillemots, the birds build nests on the cliff face — out of reach to most predators.
Soaring. Swooping. Swishing. Spinning.
They seem to attack the vast ocean below, as they search for food.
Accomplished divers at just 41cm long, the birds are underwater torpedoes.
They can stay submerged for up to 4 minutes at a time.
These soldiers of the Arctic are constant companions to all those who journey to the region in the summer months.
A bucket-list spectacle, nothing can rival the image of these seabirds, as they swarm in their thousands overhead.
Find out more about Brünnich's Guillemots on the Alkefjellet Cliffs: https://discover.silversea.com/destinations/arctic/why-alkefjellet-is-an-arctic-eden-for-birds/
One of the greatest laws of nature: there’s safety in numbers.
Swirling above the basalt cliffs of Alkefjellet in Svalbard, tens of thousands of Thick-billed Murres gather during the brief summer thaw.
Also known as Brünnich's Guillemots, the birds build nests on the cliff face — out of reach to most predators.
Soaring. Swooping. Swishing. Spinning.
They seem to attack the vast ocean below, as they search for food.
Accomplished divers at just 41cm long, the birds are underwater torpedoes.
They can stay submerged for up to 4 minutes at a time.
These soldiers of the Arctic are constant companions to all those who journey to the region in the summer months.
A bucket-list spectacle, nothing can rival the image of these seabirds, as they swarm in their thousands overhead.
Find out more about Brünnich's Guillemots on the Alkefjellet Cliffs: https://discover.silversea.com/destinations/arctic/why-alkefjellet-is-an-arctic-eden-for-birds/
In my recent trip to Svalbard, I had the opportunity to visit the Alkefjellet bird cliffs for what I call - a BBC moment in real life. Thick Billed Murres were...
In my recent trip to Svalbard, I had the opportunity to visit the Alkefjellet bird cliffs for what I call - a BBC moment in real life. Thick Billed Murres were nesting on the cliff and what I saw and captured were extra-ordinary phenomena in the wild world. The chicks were fledging and leaving the nests creating an emotionally wrenching scene.
Even though the sequence looks like I followed one chick, it was not the case. It is a collection of many video clips shot from the zodiac.
What happens next is extraordinary. The chick still cannot fly and the father molts his feathers. Both flightless, make an incredible journey to their first wintering grounds hundreds of miles away - by swimming. They swim as far as 600 miles from Greenland to Canada. Here the fatherly duties are over. Both strong enough to fly, migrate further south for winter.
#thickbilledmurre #bbcearth #naturevideo
In my recent trip to Svalbard, I had the opportunity to visit the Alkefjellet bird cliffs for what I call - a BBC moment in real life. Thick Billed Murres were nesting on the cliff and what I saw and captured were extra-ordinary phenomena in the wild world. The chicks were fledging and leaving the nests creating an emotionally wrenching scene.
Even though the sequence looks like I followed one chick, it was not the case. It is a collection of many video clips shot from the zodiac.
What happens next is extraordinary. The chick still cannot fly and the father molts his feathers. Both flightless, make an incredible journey to their first wintering grounds hundreds of miles away - by swimming. They swim as far as 600 miles from Greenland to Canada. Here the fatherly duties are over. Both strong enough to fly, migrate further south for winter.
#thickbilledmurre #bbcearth #naturevideo
On the Students on Ice 2019 Arctic Expedition, students were asked, "How deep can the thick-billed murre dive underwater?" Do YOU know? Have a listen to their r...
On the Students on Ice 2019 Arctic Expedition, students were asked, "How deep can the thick-billed murre dive underwater?" Do YOU know? Have a listen to their responses and then hear from Wildlife and Protected Areas Manager Garry Donaldson for the answer!
On the Students on Ice 2019 Arctic Expedition, students were asked, "How deep can the thick-billed murre dive underwater?" Do YOU know? Have a listen to their responses and then hear from Wildlife and Protected Areas Manager Garry Donaldson for the answer!
http://oneworldoneocean.org/seacreaturefunfacts
For more information about polar bears and Arctic wildlife, see the new IMAX® film "To The Arctic 3D" opening i...
http://oneworldoneocean.org/seacreaturefunfacts
For more information about polar bears and Arctic wildlife, see the new IMAX® film "To The Arctic 3D" opening in select IMAX Theatres starting April 20, 2012. "To The Arctic 3D" is a MacGillivray Freeman Film from Warner Bros. Pictures and IMAX Corporation. Presented by One World One Ocean Foundation.
http://oneworldoneocean.org/seacreaturefunfacts
For more information about polar bears and Arctic wildlife, see the new IMAX® film "To The Arctic 3D" opening in select IMAX Theatres starting April 20, 2012. "To The Arctic 3D" is a MacGillivray Freeman Film from Warner Bros. Pictures and IMAX Corporation. Presented by One World One Ocean Foundation.
As the gull's main prey is murre eggs and chicks, this would seem to be a poor arrangement for the murre, but with breeding sites in short supply, the murres ta...
As the gull's main prey is murre eggs and chicks, this would seem to be a poor arrangement for the murre, but with breeding sites in short supply, the murres take what they can get. Video by Emile Brisson-Curadeau.
As the gull's main prey is murre eggs and chicks, this would seem to be a poor arrangement for the murre, but with breeding sites in short supply, the murres take what they can get. Video by Emile Brisson-Curadeau.
A Murre Bird got caught on a fish hook when fishing.... We removed it and safely released it.
The hook penetrated through the thick skin of the bird twice. The...
A Murre Bird got caught on a fish hook when fishing.... We removed it and safely released it.
The hook penetrated through the thick skin of the bird twice. The barb was through so we cut the hook and rolled it out. I did not want to rip it out. Forcing the barb through the bird would have ripped it's flesh. This was a clean piercing basically, and the bird was fine. It didn't seem that the bird was in much pain. It seemed that is was mostly a little scared. I think it knew we were helping, but it was still freaked out by the whole situation.
It was a really beautiful bird and the feathers and skin were so soft and plush. It was kind of cool to be able to handle one, but hopefully we won't get one snagged up in the future...
A Murre Bird got caught on a fish hook when fishing.... We removed it and safely released it.
The hook penetrated through the thick skin of the bird twice. The barb was through so we cut the hook and rolled it out. I did not want to rip it out. Forcing the barb through the bird would have ripped it's flesh. This was a clean piercing basically, and the bird was fine. It didn't seem that the bird was in much pain. It seemed that is was mostly a little scared. I think it knew we were helping, but it was still freaked out by the whole situation.
It was a really beautiful bird and the feathers and skin were so soft and plush. It was kind of cool to be able to handle one, but hopefully we won't get one snagged up in the future...
Murres may be clumsy in the air, but these tiny arctic birds move like torpedoes underwater.
➡ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe
About National Geographic:
National Geographic is the world's premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure. Through their world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo gets you closer to the stories that matter and past the edge of what's possible.
Get More National Geographic:
Official Site: http://bit.ly/NatGeoOfficialSite
Facebook: http://bit.ly/FBNatGeo
Twitter: http://bit.ly/NatGeoTwitter
Instagram: http://bit.ly/NatGeoInsta
Meet the Underwater Torpedo Bird | National Geographic
https://youtu.be/nbnJsc-GPaA
National Geographic
https://www.youtube.com/natgeo
One of the greatest laws of nature: there’s safety in numbers.
Swirling above the basalt cliffs of Alkefjellet in Svalbard, tens of thousands of Thick-billed Murres gather during the brief summer thaw.
Also known as Brünnich's Guillemots, the birds build nests on the cliff face — out of reach to most predators.
Soaring. Swooping. Swishing. Spinning.
They seem to attack the vast ocean below, as they search for food.
Accomplished divers at just 41cm long, the birds are underwater torpedoes.
They can stay submerged for up to 4 minutes at a time.
These soldiers of the Arctic are constant companions to all those who journey to the region in the summer months.
A bucket-list spectacle, nothing can rival the image of these seabirds, as they swarm in their thousands overhead.
Find out more about Brünnich's Guillemots on the Alkefjellet Cliffs: https://discover.silversea.com/destinations/arctic/why-alkefjellet-is-an-arctic-eden-for-birds/
In my recent trip to Svalbard, I had the opportunity to visit the Alkefjellet bird cliffs for what I call - a BBC moment in real life. Thick Billed Murres were nesting on the cliff and what I saw and captured were extra-ordinary phenomena in the wild world. The chicks were fledging and leaving the nests creating an emotionally wrenching scene.
Even though the sequence looks like I followed one chick, it was not the case. It is a collection of many video clips shot from the zodiac.
What happens next is extraordinary. The chick still cannot fly and the father molts his feathers. Both flightless, make an incredible journey to their first wintering grounds hundreds of miles away - by swimming. They swim as far as 600 miles from Greenland to Canada. Here the fatherly duties are over. Both strong enough to fly, migrate further south for winter.
#thickbilledmurre #bbcearth #naturevideo
On the Students on Ice 2019 Arctic Expedition, students were asked, "How deep can the thick-billed murre dive underwater?" Do YOU know? Have a listen to their responses and then hear from Wildlife and Protected Areas Manager Garry Donaldson for the answer!
http://oneworldoneocean.org/seacreaturefunfacts
For more information about polar bears and Arctic wildlife, see the new IMAX® film "To The Arctic 3D" opening in select IMAX Theatres starting April 20, 2012. "To The Arctic 3D" is a MacGillivray Freeman Film from Warner Bros. Pictures and IMAX Corporation. Presented by One World One Ocean Foundation.
As the gull's main prey is murre eggs and chicks, this would seem to be a poor arrangement for the murre, but with breeding sites in short supply, the murres take what they can get. Video by Emile Brisson-Curadeau.
A Murre Bird got caught on a fish hook when fishing.... We removed it and safely released it.
The hook penetrated through the thick skin of the bird twice. The barb was through so we cut the hook and rolled it out. I did not want to rip it out. Forcing the barb through the bird would have ripped it's flesh. This was a clean piercing basically, and the bird was fine. It didn't seem that the bird was in much pain. It seemed that is was mostly a little scared. I think it knew we were helping, but it was still freaked out by the whole situation.
It was a really beautiful bird and the feathers and skin were so soft and plush. It was kind of cool to be able to handle one, but hopefully we won't get one snagged up in the future...
The thick-billed murre or Brünnich's guillemot (Uria lomvia) is a bird in the aukfamily (Alcidae). This bird is named after the Danish zoologist Morten Thrane Brünnich. The very deeply black North PacificsubspeciesUria lomvia arra is also called Pallas' murre after its describer. Murres have the highest flight cost, for their body size, of any animal.
Description
Since the extinction of the great auk in the mid-19th century, the murres are the largest living members of the Alcidae. The thick-billed murre and the closely related common guillemot (or common murre, U. aalge) are similarly-sized, but the thick-billed still bests the other species in both average and maximum size. The thick-billed murre measures 40–48cm (16–19in) in total length, spans 64–81cm (25–32in) across the wings and weighs 736–1,481g (26.0–52.2oz). The Pacific race (U. l. arra) is larger than the Atlantic race, especially in bill dimensions.
Adult birds are black on the head, neck, back and wings with white underparts. The bill is long and pointed. They have a small rounded black tail. The lower face becomes white in winter. This species produces a variety of harsh cackling calls at the breeding colonies, but is silent at sea.
Among those that appear to have been more resilient are thick-billed murres, which are related to common murres but identifiable by their thicker necks and other features. Thick-billed murres are a bit more flexible in their prey, Renner said.
The marine heat wave didn't just impact common murres ...Thick-billed murres, which often share nesting cliffs with common murres, were largely unaffected, possibly due to their more adaptable diet, Renner noted.
the CCGS Arpatuuq and CCGS Imnaryuaq ... The CCGS Arpatuuq references Akpatok Island, an uninhabited island in Nunavik, on the northern coast of Quebec ... It is named for the Akpa, a thick-billed murre that is one of the many seabird species in the region.
They found that 13 species of seabird inhabiting polar landscapes were reported to have ingested microplastics, including little auks, northern fulmars, glaucous gulls, thick-billed murres, ...
Port Leopold, a place of wild beauty, is the next port of call before crossing the Lancaster Sound to Elwin Bay, rich in wildlife from thick-billed murres, black guillemots, northern fulmars and ...
Thick-billed murres normally mate for life, but young couples are more likely to break up, despite seeing no benefit to mating success the next year ... .
Advertisement 2. Story continues below ... SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES ... 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4 ... ... Bird-watcher? Prince Leopold Island’s vast cliffs swarm with nesting thick-billed murres, northern fulmars, black-legged kittiwakes, black guillemots and other seabirds.
In related news, Large-billed Terns in Florida were possibly brought by the dryness in northern South America... It was observed that fulmars and Thick-billed Murres really are divided breeders.
Thick-billed murres have been dying in their nests on hotter days in the Arctic, which is warming at least twice as fast as elsewhere on the planet ... A huge patrol effort counted 62,000 beached murres, some washing up while still in their death throes.
News Press - Stillwater
12 Mar 2024
News Press - Stillwater
12 Mar 2024