Common Murre, also known as Common Guillemot or Murre

The Common Murre is a large auk with dark brown-to-black head, back, and wings, and crisp white underparts. They possess a stout, pointed bill and short tails, standing upright on rocky ledges like tiny penguins, though they are capable of strong, whirring flight and exceptional underwater propulsion.

Dark chocolate-brown to blackish dorsal coloration with a contrasting clean white edge or margin along one side, characteristic of upperpart contour feathers in alcids.

Tightly interlocked pennaceous structure near the tip transitioning to a slightly more plumulaceous base, with intact barbs and no prominent afterfeather.

Central rachis is slender, moderately curved, whitish-grey near the base and darkening toward the tip, with dense, fine barbs forming a uniform vane.

Smooth, tightly knit, and slightly glossy with a waterproof texture suited for life in marine environments.

Body contour or upper wing covert, determined by the curved, tapered shape and smooth, waterproof structural design suited for a pelagic diving bird.

Distinctive dark brown-black upper coloration sharply contrasting with a bright white margin or edge, typical of coastal alcid contour feathers.

Marine pelagic environments, rocky coastal cliffs, islands, and cold northern oceans where these birds spend the majority of their lives at sea.

Circumpolar distribution in cold subarctic and temperate waters of the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans.

Important marine predator feeding on small schooling fish and invertebrates, serving as a key bio-indicator of ocean health.

Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia), Razorbill (Alca torda), and Dovekie (Alle alle), distinguished by subtle differences in size, shape, and margin coloration.

Common Murres lay a single pyriform (pear-shaped) egg directly on narrow rock ledges; the unique shape prevents the egg from rolling off the cliff in the wind.

Historically harvested for eggs and meat by coastal human populations; their dense waterproof feathers reflect their adaptation to cold marine ecosystems.

Look along high-tide lines on rocky beaches, near seabird nesting colonies on coastal cliffs, or floating in marine drift.

Good condition, showing minor wear along the edges but largely intact barbs and a strong rachis, suggesting it was recently molted or washed ashore.