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Thick-billed Murre Identification

Thick-billed Murre Photos and Videos

Thick-billed Murre

Nonbreeding adult/immature

Large and stocky black-and-white seabird with a thick bill. Nonbreeding birds are dark above and white below with a white throat and lower face.

© Lucas Bobay / Macaulay LibraryNorth Carolina, January 17, 2015
Thick-billed Murre

Nonbreeding adult/immature

Stocky seabird with a thick bill and short rounded tail. Nonbreeding birds have white on the throat and the lower part of the face.

© Ryan Schain / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, December 16, 2011
Thick-billed Murre

Breeding

Dives from the surface while foraging for schooling fish such as cod and smelt. Also feeds on bottom-dwelling fish, squid, amphipods, and shrimp.

© DAVID BROWN / Macaulay LibraryNunavut, June 08, 2005
Thick-billed Murre

Breeding adult

Stocky seabird that typically flies just above surface.

© Brian Sullivan / Macaulay LibraryAlaska, August 30, 2004
Thick-billed Murre

Breeding adult

Nests along coastal cliffs in colonies. Black above and white below with a thin white line extending from the base of the bill. Note silver wing linings on underwings.

© Sonja Ross / Macaulay LibraryChukotka Autonomous Okrug, August 18, 2015
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The Four Keys to ID

  • Size & Shape

    A large seabird with an upright penguinlike posture on land (or ice). It has a heavy body, a long neck, a streamlined head, and a thick, pointed bill. The wings are long and narrow to help with "flying" underwater.

    Relative Size

    Slightly larger than a Razorbill, smaller than a Common Loon.

    Relative Sizecrow sizedcrow-sized

    Measurements
    • Both Sexes
      • Length: 17.7 in (45 cm)
      • Weight: 26.5-52.2 oz (750-1481 g)

    Shape of the Thick-billed Murre© Lucas Bobay / Macaulay Library

Regional Differences

Ornithologists recognize two subspecies: the smaller lomvia, found from eastern Canada to western Russia, and the larger arra from eastern Russia east to western Canada. The lomvia subspecies has brownish tones on the head (often not visible in the field), while most arra have fully black heads and are sometimes called Pallas’s Murre or Pallas’s Guillemot.

Species in This Family

Auks, Murres, and Puffins(Order: Charadriiformes, Family: Alcidae)

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