Marbled Murrelet Predators

Marbled murrelets and humans the marbled murrelet is considered globally endangered with some evidence of.

Marbled murrelet predators.

No marbled murrelet nests are known to have been destroyed by mammalian predators although raccoons procyon lotor marten martes americana fisher martes pennanti and several species of rodents are potential predators. The marbled murrelet is listed as a federal threatened and state endangered species wac 220 610 010 in washington endangered means any wildlife species native to the state that is seriously threatened with extinction. It is also known that the major. Threats in the form of gill nets and oil spills affect this species as well.

Related to puffins murres auks size 10 inches habitat surfline to 2 miles out plumage dark grey above white below winter. They typically lay their single egg high in a tree on a horizontal limb at least 4 inches in diameter with steller s jays crows and ravens the main predators of murrelet nests. Brown mottled summer nest on old growth conifer limbs 2 30. The old growth forest that s left is often in parks where the presence of people and their food has attracted huge numbers of jays and ravens which eat marbled murrelet eggs and chicks.

Throughout their range marbled murrelets are opportunistic feeders and utilize prey of diverse sizes and species. Predation rates on murrelet nests appear higher than other alcids perhaps with the exception of areas with. The end goal for these birds is to be very secretive and quiet so predators don t find their nests and they can produce young said rivers. Steller s jays cyanocitta stelleri and common ravens corvus corax prey on marbled murrelet eggs and nestlings.

The marbled murrelet was listed by the us fish and wildlife service as threatened in 1992 and was listed as threatened by the washington state department. It is well established that corvids are major predators of murrelet eggs and chicks hébert and golightly 2007 malt and lank 2009 golightly and schneider 2009. About 30 to 40 days after hatching the young marbled murrelet takes its first flight and goes all the way to the ocean. They feed primarily on fish and invertebrates in near shore marine waters although they have also been detected on rivers and inland lakes.