Common Murre

This is a common murre.  They are also called common guillemot or thin-billed murre.  They live in the north all the way around the world.  They are very good swimmers and divers.  Murres are a type of auks.  Auks are sea birds that are a little like penguins.  They are mostly black-and-white, they are excellent swimmers and divers, and they waddle when they walk.  But auks can fly.

Common murres eat fish.  They spend most of their lives at sea.  They come to land during breeding season and get together in very large groups.  They don’t build a nest.  Instead, they just lay their eggs on the rocky ground.  Murre eggs are all different colors and have different patterns on them.  This way, when all the murres lay their eggs, the parents can recognize which egg is theirs.

I saw this bird at SeaWorld in the Penguin Encounter exhibit.