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Ancient Murrelet
Birds nocturnal

Ancient Murrelet

Synthliboramphus antiquus

The silver-backed voyager of the North Pacific, the Ancient Murrelet, is famous for its chicks' brave midnight dash from their forest burrows to the crashing sea.

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Quick Identification

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Size

Length: 9.5–10.5 in (24–27 cm); Wingspan: 17–18 in (43–46 cm); Weight: 6–8 oz (170–225 g)

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Colors

Slate-grey back with a black head and throat; white underparts; breeding adults feature white plumes above the eyes and on the neck; bill is pale yellow or horn-colored.

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Key Features

  • Small, stocky 'football' body shape
  • Slate-grey 'shawl' across the back
  • Short, pale yellow bill
  • White streaks on the head during breeding season

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern nocturnal
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Peak hours 11 PM - 3 AM (at nesting sites)
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Season April-July
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Diet Primarily small forage fish such as sand lance, herring, and capelin, as well as marine crustaceans like krill and larval shrimp.
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Habitat Open coastal waters of the North Pacific; nests in burrows or under tree roots on forested or grassy islands and headlands.

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Behavior

Ancient Murrelets are fascinating members of the auk family that spend the vast majority of their lives on the open ocean. They are most famous for their unique 'precocial' nesting behavior. Unlike most seabirds that feed their young in the nest for weeks, Ancient Murrelet chicks leave their burrows just two days after hatching. Under the cover of darkness, these tiny balls of fluff follow the calls of their parents, scurrying through the forest floor and tumbling over cliffs to reach the crashing surf.

On the water, they are social birds, often seen in pairs or small groups. They are pursuit-divers, using their powerful wings to 'fly' underwater in search of schools of small fish. While they are generally wary of humans and will dive if approached by a boat, they are highly vulnerable to light pollution at night, which can disorient them during their nesting season.

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Camera Tips

Capturing the Ancient Murrelet on camera is a specialized challenge because they only come to land at night during the spring breeding season. If you live on a coastal property in the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, or Alaska, look for nesting activity in forested areas near the shore. Place your camera very low to the ground—no more than 6 to 10 inches high—aimed at the base of large Sitka spruce or hemlock trees, or near known burrow entrances in the mossy ground.

Because these birds are strictly nocturnal on land to avoid predators like eagles and gulls, a camera with high-quality 'No-Glow' infrared flash is mandatory. Standard white light or even 'Low-Glow' red LEDs can startle the birds or attract predators to the nest site. Set your camera to take short video clips (15-20 seconds) with a fast trigger speed. This is crucial because the chicks move surprisingly fast as they dash toward the ocean, and a slow camera will only capture a blur of feathers.

For the best results, enable audio recording if your device supports it. The vocalizations of the Ancient Murrelet are a vital part of their biology; the parents call from the water or the forest canopy to guide their chicks. Hearing these high-pitched 'piping' sounds alongside your footage adds incredible context to their moonlight trek. Position your camera near 'runways'—natural clearings in the undergrowth that the birds use to navigate between their burrows and the sea.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Ancient Murrelet.

Marbled Murrelet

Smaller with a dark, slender bill; lacks the grey 'shawl' and has mottled brown breeding plumage.

Cassin's Auklet

Uniformly drab greyish-brown without the black and white head contrast of the Ancient Murrelet.

Frequently Asked Questions

At sea, they are active during the day, but they are strictly nocturnal at their nesting colonies. They typically arrive at their burrows several hours after sunset and depart well before dawn to avoid being spotted by predators.
You cannot attract them with food, as they only eat live marine prey. However, if you live in a coastal nesting area, you can support them by turning off outdoor lights during the spring, as bright lights can cause them to crash into buildings or become stranded.
They are carnivores that dive deep into the ocean to catch small schooling fish like sand lance and herring, along with various types of krill and zooplankton.
No, they are rarely found in suburban environments unless those areas are directly adjacent to rocky, forested coastlines in the North Pacific. They are most commonly seen by boaters in open water.
In the summer, the Ancient Murrelet has a distinct black throat and grey back, while the Marbled Murrelet is mottled brown. The Ancient Murrelet also has a thicker, paler bill compared to the slender black bill of the Marbled Murrelet.

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