Range
These seabirds nest on mossy platforms on the limbs of old tree stands, no more than 55 miles inland along Oregon’s Coast Range and Klamath Mountains.
Description
It is typically white underneath with a black crown, nape, wings and back. Adults average 9.5 to 10 inches in length, with an average wingspan of 16 inches and weigh between 9 to 12.5 ounces.
Diet and habitat
It feeds on fish including Pacific sand lance, northern anchovy, Pacific herring and surf smelt, and invertebrates such as mollusks. It prefers older forests, including Douglas-fir, western redcedar, western hemlock and Sitka spruce, that provide large moss-covered tree limbs for nests. It winters at sea.
Predators and threats
The marbled murreletis is preyed upon by falcons and owls, while jays and squirrels consume eggs. Loss of habitat is a concern, as larger older tree stands provide habitat for this species.
Reproduction
It produces one egg by June in a nest lined with moss or conifer needles. The egg is incubated for a period of about 28 days, and the chick fledges by early fall.