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Common Murre

Uria aalge

Least Concern (IUCN Red List)Auks, Murres, and Puffins
Common Murre, photographed by Tomasz Wilk

Photo: Tomasz Wilk · iNaturalist · CC-BY-NC 4.0 (licence)

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Call and song

About the Common Murre

Black-and-white seabird with crisp patterning. Dark brownish-black above with white belly. Head entirely dark in breeding plumage; nonbreeding show white face with curved dark line below eye. Sides usually show some messy dark streaks. Bill is longer and more slender than similar Thick-billed Murre; but can be difficult to judge at a distance. Also note browner plumage and streaky sides on Common Murre. Breeds in colonies on rocky islands and cliffs; spends the rest of the year on the ocean. Usually single or in loose small groups; in the Atlantic, sometimes seen in loose association with Razorbills.

Species account: eBird.org, fetched 2025-12-26 · How these pages are made

Where it has been recorded

Recorded in 37 of the 253 countries we have eBird lists for. Each opens that country's checklist.

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