Ancient Murrelet
Synthliboramphus antiquus
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderCharadriiformes (Shorebirds and Allies)
- FamilyAlcidae (Auks, Murres, and Puffins)
- GenusSynthliboramphus (Synthliboramphus Murrelets)
- SpeciesSynthliboramphus antiquus (Ancient Murrelet)
About the Ancient Murrelet
The ancient murrelet (Synthliboramphus antiquus) is a bird in the auk family. The English term "murrelet" is a diminutive of "murre", a word of uncertain origins, but which may imitate the call of the common guillemot. Ancient murrelets are called "ancient" because they have grey on the back like a shawl, as worn by the elderly.
The ancient murrelet was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the auks in the genus Alca and coined the binomial name Alca antiqua. Gmelin based his description on the "ancient auk" that had been described in 1785 by both the English ornithologist John Latham and the Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant. Both authors mention a specimen in the Leverian Museum and give the location as the west of North America, the Kuril Islands and the Kamchatka Peninsula. The ancient murrelet is now one of five species placed in the genus Synthliboramphus that was introduced in 1837 by the German-born naturalist Johann Friedrich von Brandt. The genus name combines Ancient Greek sunthlibō meaning "to compress" with rhamphos meaning "bill"... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Ancient Murrelet in Channel Islands National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Channel Islands National Park
Scripps's Murrelet
Synthliboramphus scrippsi
Craveri's Murrelet
Synthliboramphus craveri
Guadalupe Murrelet
Synthliboramphus hypoleucus
Pigeon Guillemot
Cepphus columba
Rhinoceros Auklet
Cerorhinca monocerata
Cassin's Auklet
Ptychoramphus aleuticus
Common Murre
Uria aalge
Horned Puffin
Fratercula corniculata
Marbled Murrelet
Brachyramphus marmoratus
Western Gull
Larus occidentalis
California Gull
Larus californicus
Heermann's Gull
Larus heermanni
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenai Fjords National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | Katmai National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Ancient Murrelet in Channel Islands National Park?
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Ancient Murrelet sighting in Channel Islands National Park, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Ancient Murrelet in Channel Islands National Park?
December has the highest sighting rate for Ancient Murrelet in Channel Islands National Park in our monthly data.