The Arctic’s Thick-Billed Murres

The thick-billed murre, also known as Brünnich’s guillemot, is a remarkable seabird that inhabits the polar and sub-polar regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

Named after Danish zoologist Morten Thrane Brünnich, these birds are well-adapted to the harsh Arctic environment, thriving in cold waters that remain below 8°C year-round.

Habitat and Distribution

Thick-billed murres are found across the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, with significant populations in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Scandinavia, and Russia. They spend most of their lives at sea, only coming ashore during the breeding season to nest on rocky cliffs and headlands. These birds are true pelagic species, often foraging near the edge of sea ice or in areas where strong currents concentrate prey.

Breeding and Behavior

Breeding colonies of thick-billed murres can be immense, sometimes comprising over a million birds. They nest on narrow cliff ledges, laying a single egg directly on bare rock. Both parents share the responsibility of incubating the egg and feeding the chick. Remarkably, chicks leave the nest before they can fly, leaping off the cliffs to the sea below, where they are guided and fed by their fathers for several weeks.

Diet and Foraging

Thick-billed murres are adept divers, using their wings to “fly” underwater in pursuit of small fish, squid, shrimp, and crustaceans. They can dive as deep as 689 feet, although most foraging occurs around 60 feet. Their diet primarily consists of fish like Arctic cod and capelin, which they catch with their bills during these deep dives. Overall, thick-billed murres are fascinating seabirds with unique adaptations that allow them to thrive in the challenging Arctic environment. Their impressive diving abilities and communal breeding behaviors make them a captivating subject for bird enthusiasts and researchers alike.

On our journey, we likely encountered millions of Thick-billed Murres. And as one of our guides wisely quipped while thousands were flying overhead, “Keep your mouth shut.” Sage advice, indeed.

Stay tuned for more of our exciting adventures as we sail the Arctic with Silversea Expeditions over the next 14 days.

For more information or to book an exciting Silversea Expedition cruise, please call Roaming Boomers Travel Services at (480) 550-1235 or use our convenient online information request (click here) and we’ll reach out to you.

Note: The studio portrait of the Thick-Billed Murre was AI-generated. 

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This article was written with the aid of Perplexity AI. Roaming Boomers Travel Services is an independent affiliate of Cadence and a Virtuoso® member. CST#201120-40