Listen to the common murre
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the common murre
The common murre is a bird in the family Alcidae (order Charadriiformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 71 cm and weigh around 108 g.
What does the common murre sound like?
Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round. Listening for both helps with identification.
From Wikipedia
The common murre or common guillemot (Uria aalge) is a large auk, one of several species called murre or guillemot. It has a circumpolar distribution, occurring in low-Arctic and boreal waters in the North Atlantic and North Pacific. It spends most of its time at sea, only coming to land to breed on rocky cliff shores or islands.
Common murres are fast in direct flight but are not very agile. They are highly mobile underwater using their wings to 'fly' through the water column, where they typically dive to depths of 30–60 m (100–195 ft). Depths of up to 180 m (590 ft) have been recorded.
More from the family Alcidae
Frequently asked questions
What does a common murre sound like?
You can hear 1 recording of the common murre on this page. Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round.
Is the common murre endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the common murre as “least concern”.
What family does the common murre belong to?
The common murre (Uria aalge) belongs to the family Alcidae in the order Charadriiformes.
Sources & credits
- Common Guillemot (Uria aalge) (W1CDR0001424 BD6) – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q21062 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Common murre – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Charles J. Sharp – CC BY-SA 4.0