Craveri's Murrelet

The Craveri's murrelet, a diminutive seabird, dons a contrasting black and white plumage. Its small head is adorned with a thin, sharp bill, and it is recognized as one of the most southerly distributed members of the auk species.

Identification Tips

To distinguish the Craveri's murrelet from its close relative, the Scripps's murrelet, observe the partial neck collar present in the former, which is absent in the latter. Additionally, the Craveri's murrelet exhibits dusky underwings, as opposed to the white underwings of the Scripps's. The black facial mask of the Craveri's murrelet extends slightly further down the face, and the two species can also be differentiated by their vocalizations.

Habitat

This species selects the arid islands' small crevices, caves, and dense bushes for nesting, forming loose, scattered colonies.

Distribution

Craveri's murrelet is native to the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California, specifically off the Baja peninsula of Mexico. It is also known to venture as far as central California in the United States, particularly during post-breeding dispersal.

Behaviour

The Craveri's murrelet is a wing-propelled diver, pursuing larval fish such as herring, rockfish, and lanternfish in the ocean depths with vigorous wingbeats. It is adept at flight and capable of taking off directly from the water's surface. At night, it stealthily returns to its nesting site, where it incubates its two eggs for approximately one month. The chicks, exhibiting remarkable precocity, vacate the nest within two days of hatching and energetically make their way to the sea, guided by the calls of their parents. Once united at sea, the family retreats to offshore waters. Due to the challenges of observation, much about their time at sea remains enigmatic.

Song & calls

The Craveri's murrelet can be identified by its unique vocalizations, which serve as a distinguishing feature from the Scripps's murrelet.

Breeding

The breeding behavior of the Craveri's murrelet involves nocturnal visits to the nest, where two eggs are laid and incubated. The precocial chicks depart for the sea shortly after hatching, where they are met by their parents.

Similar Species

The Scripps's murrelet is the species most similar in appearance to the Craveri's murrelet, with the key differences being the partial neck collar and dusky underwings of the Craveri's murrelet.

Diet and Feeding

Craveri's murrelet feeds on larval fish, including herring, rockfish, and lanternfish, which it catches by diving underwater using its wings for propulsion.

Conservation status

With an estimated population of 6,000-10,000 breeding pairs, the Craveri's murrelet is currently listed as vulnerable. It faces threats from predators introduced to its breeding colonies, oil spills, tanker traffic, increasing tourism development, and commercial fishing fleets. However, conservation efforts to remove introduced predators have somewhat mitigated these threats.