Similar Species

• Very similar to Thick-billed Murre, which has a shorter and thicker bill, a white line on the gape, is blacker on the back, lacks streaked flanks, and in winter, has a darker face. In breeding plumage the white of the breast meets the dark throat in a straight line or shallow inverted "U" in Common Murre, but in a sharp inverted "V" in thick-billed.
• Razorbill very similar from a distance, but is more robust, and has a deeper and blunter bill, and often holds it longer tail cocked up into the air.