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 Kenai Fjords National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Kenai Fjords National Park
Horned Puffin
Fratercula corniculata
Common Murre
Uria aalge
Tufted Puffin
Fratercula cirrhata
Rhinoceros Auklet
Cerorhinca monocerata
Pigeon Guillemot
Cepphus columba
Marbled Murrelet
Brachyramphus marmoratus
Kittlitz's Murrelet
Brachyramphus brevirostris
Parakeet Auklet
Aethia psittacula
Thick-billed Murre
Uria lomvia
Cassin's Auklet
Ptychoramphus aleuticus
Black-legged Kittiwake
Rissa tridactyla
Glaucous-winged Gull
Larus glaucescens
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 Kenai Fjords National Park?
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Ancient Murrelet sighting in Kenai Fjords National Park, based on 593 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Ancient Murrelet in Kenai Fjords National Park?
June has the highest sighting rate for Ancient Murrelet in Kenai Fjords National Park in our monthly data.