Murres

The two species of murres (known as guillemots in Europe), the thick-billed murre, Uria lomvia, and common murre, Uria aalge, both have circumpolar distributions, breeding in Arctic, sub-Arctic, and temperate seas from California and northern Spain to northern Greenland, high Arctic Canada, Svalbard, and Novaya Zemlya. The thick-billed murre occurs mostly in Arctic waters, while the common murre, although overlapping extensively with the thick-billed murre, is more characteristic of sub-Arctic and temperate waters. They are among the most abundant seabirds in the Northern Hemisphere with both species exceeding 10 million adults. (Arctic Biodiversity Trends 2010.)

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Thick-billed Murre ( 8 Documents )

Common Murre ( 3 Documents )

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Thick-billed murre colony size in relation to spring sea ice conditions, West Greenland

LifeLinkedtoIce Thick billed murre colony size

Based on analyses of data from areas around 46 murre colonies, grouped into regions. Colony sizes are historical maximum estimates of numbers of birds (representing carrying capacity) rather than current population sizes. This approach avoids the confounding factor of overharvest in some areas in recent decades. Sea ice conditions are based on satellite measurements, 1979 to 2004.

¹Rate of change of fraction of open water, units X 10^-3
²Statistical measure of variability of the rate of change: residual from mean, units X 10^-2
Source: Laidre et al. 2008 [242]

Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF)

The data can be downloaded freely. Users are requested to reference the source.

Eamer, J., Donaldson, G.M., Gaston, A.J., Kosobokova, K.N., Lárusson, K.F., Melnikov, I.A., Reist, J.D., Richardson, E., Staples, L., von Quillfeldt, C.H. 2013. Life Linked to Ice: A guide to sea-ice-associated biodiversity in this time of rapid change. CAFF Assessment Series No. 10. Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna, Iceland. ISBN: 978-9935-431-25-7.

Polar cod and capelin in diets of thick-billed murres, comparing a recent study with 30 years ago: low, mid, and high Arctic locations in eastern Canada

LifeLinkedtoIce diets of thick billed murres

This chart shows the breakdown by species of identified fish in stomach samples of murres. Polar cod continue to dominate the diets of high Arctic murres, but capelin appear to have replaced polar cod in the low Arctic, where ice has retreated to the greatest extent. Capelin have also appeared in the mid Arctic, where the species was absent in 1985 samples but present in a third of the samples from 2007/08.
From Provencher et al. 2012 [209]

Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF)

The data can be downloaded freely. Users are requested to reference the source.

Change in the diet of nestling thick-billed murres U.

ABA 2013 04 06 Diet

Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) 2013.

Figure 4.6. Change in the diet of nestling thick-billed murres U. lomvia at Coats Island, 1981-2009. The “Benthic” category includes sculpins (Cottidae, Agonidae) and blennies (Sticheidae, Pholidae, Bleniidae, Zoarcidae). “Other” consists principally of invertebrates.

Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF)

www.caff.is

The data can be downloaded freely.

Users are requested to reference it source.

Meltofte, H. (ed.) 2013. Arctic Biodiversity Assessment. Status and trends in Arctic biodiversity. Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna, Akureyri.

Changes in murre populations since 1975 by region and ‘decade’

Changes in murre populations since 1975 by region and ‘decade’ (as defined by regime shifts in the Pacific Decadal Oscillation). Green indicates positive population trends, yellow indicates stable populations, and red indicates negative population trends.

Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF)
www.caff.is

The data can be downloaded freely.

Users are requested to reference it source.

i.e. Arctic Biodiversity Trends 2010.

Annual rates of population change of individual murre colonies during 12 years after the 1977 climatic regime shift in the North Pacific and during 9 years after the 1989 shift,

Annual rates of population change of individual murre colonies during 12 years after the 1977 climatic regime shift in the North Pacific and during 9 years after the 1989 shift, in relation to changes in sea surface temperatures around the colonies from one decadal regime to the next. Population data are from 32 U. aalge and 21 U. lomvia colonies, encompassing the entire circumpolar region. Ten sites supported both species, so 43 different study areas were represented.

ZIP file includes 2 files:

1. Excel file

2. Image file

Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF)
www.caff.is

The data can be downloaded freely.

Users are requested to reference it source.

i.e. Arctic Biodiversity Trends 2010.

The distribution of thick-billed and common murre colonies in the North.

The distribution of thick-billed and common murre colonies in the North.

ZIP file includes 3 datasets:

1. Shapefile of Common Murre distribution

2. Shapefile of Thickbilled Murre distribution

3. Image file of Murres distribution

Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF)

www.caff.is

The data can be downloaded freely.

Users are requested to reference it source.

i.e. Arctic Biodiversity Trends 2010.

Graphics: Hugo Ahlenius

Decline of the thick billed murre population in central West Greenland

Decline of the thick billed murre Uria lomvia population in central West Greenland

Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF)
www.caff.is
The data can be downloaded freely.
Users are requested to reference it source.

ARCTIC FLORA AND FAUNA: Status and Conservation. Documentation. Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna Working Group (CAFF). (Source: Knud Falk and Kaj Kamp).

The Circumpolar distribution of common and thick-billed murres.

Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF)
www.caff.is
The data can be downloaded freely.
Users are requested to reference it source.

International Murre Conservation Strategy and Action Plan.

Murres

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