From Opus

Photo by Glen Tepke
Pacific west of Carmel, California, USA, August 2003

Synthliboramphus scrippsi

[edit] Identification

Length 9.75 inches (25 cm), wingspan 15 inches (38 cm)

[edit] Similar Species

Distinguished from two other murrelets in range, Craveri's and Marbled, by white wing linings, shorter bill and less black on face than Craveri's, longer bill and more solidly black upperparts than Marbled.
Smaller than Xantus's Murrelet and with white eye arcs.

[edit] Distribution

Nests on six of the Channel Islands (Santa Barbara, San Miguel, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, Santa Catalina, and San Clemente) in southern California, USA.

Outside of the breeding season, it ranges along the continental shelf from Baja California north, frequently to northern California and more rarely to British Columbia.

[edit] Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species.
It was formerly considered a subspecies of Xantus's Murrelet.

[edit] Habitat

Nests on arid, rocky islands; otherwise pelagic in warm waters. Rarely seen from shore.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Diet

The diet includes tuna, anchovies, sardines and rockfish.

[edit] Breeding

They nest in small crevices or under thick bushes on dry islands in loose scattered colonies. The adults only visit the nest at night. The clutch consists of 2 eggs which are incubated for about a month. The chicks leave the nest after two days of hatching joining up with the adults on the water.

[edit] References

1. Birdforum thread discussing the taxonomy of this species and the proposed split

• List of references

[edit] External Links

With a populations estimated to total only 5,600 birds and a very small breeding range, Xantus's Murrelet is considered to be at high risk of extinction on several bird conservation lists:

BirdLife International: Vulnerable - http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=3311&m=0

Audubon WatchList 2007: Red - http://web1.audubon.org/science/species/watchlist/profile.php?speciesCode=xanmur

American Bird Conservancy WatchList 2007: Red - http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/science/watchlist/xantus_murrelet.html

U.S. Endangered Species Act: Candidate - http://ecos.fws.gov/species_profile/servlet/gov.doi.species_profile.servlets.SpeciesProfile?spcode=B098