Craveri's Murrelet

About the Craveri's Murrelet

Craveri's murrelet (Synthliboramphus craveri) is a small seabird which breeds on offshore islands in both the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California off the Baja peninsula of Mexico. It also wanders fairly regularly as far as central California in the US, primarily during post-breeding dispersal. It is almost never seen from or near the shore. With an estimated population of 6,000-10,000 breeding pairs, its population is listed as vulnerable.

The Craveri's murrelet is a small black and white auk with a small head and thin sharp bill. It resembles the closely related Scripps's murrelet, with which it shares the distinction of being the most southerly living of all the auk species.

The Craveri's murrelet has a partial neck collar (Scripps's has none), and dusky underwings (Scripps's has white underwings). Craveri's black face mask dips a bit further down the face compared to the Scripps's. Both species can be also separated by voice. Craveri's murrelet also has a tendency to hold its tail upward when sitting on the water, a trait Scripps's does not show.

Craveri's murrelet feeds far out at sea on larval fish such as herring, rockfish... Wikipedia →