Feb 28
Synthliboramphus antiquus [ウミスズメ,Ancient murrelet]
ウミスズメリベンジ😊 今回は近くに来てくれました😍😍😍
seen from China
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from United Kingdom
seen from China
seen from China
seen from Germany
seen from Netherlands
seen from Türkiye
seen from Germany
seen from Türkiye
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Yemen
seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
Synthliboramphus antiquus [ウミスズメ,Ancient murrelet]
ウミスズメリベンジ😊 今回は近くに来てくれました😍😍😍
in all the excitement of the long tailed duck sighting today i almost forgot to tell y'all about the other lifer i saw. ancient murrelet. tiny little guy
Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus
1/18/2024 Los Angeles County, California
This little guy was so cute but so hard to photograph as it dove in and out of heavy surf! It was just a little black dot on the waves, and it would pop up for 2-5 seconds at a time before diving back down and disappearing. Very fun sighting, though!
BOTD: Ancient Murrelet
Photo: Eric Ellingson
"Elegantly marked, a diving bird of the northern Pacific Coast. More agile in flight than most auks, able to take off directly from water, flocks often banking and turning in unison. Breeding behavior unusual for a seabird: Males 'sing' at night from tree branches and other high perches at nesting colonies; the species regularly raises two young (most auks raise only one); it raises its young at sea, leading them away from the nest within a few days after they hatch. The name 'Ancient' results from gray back, with fancied resemblance to a shawl draped across an old person's shoulders."
- Audubon Field Guide
Round 2, Poll 27
Ancient Murrelet vs Arabian Babbler
sources under cut
Ancient Murrelet
“very cute. epic name, given for their gray colored back looking like a shawl draped over an old person’s shoulders. i never see anyone talk about them!”
Apparently… some populations of these birds migrate 8,000 km (5000 mi) from Canada to winter in waters near Japan and China, even though the climate is similar on both ends… Because of this, it is the only known bird to cross the whole North Pacific.
The species is currently listed as ‘Special Concern’ by the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, as populations have become greatly reduced due to the introduced mammalian predators on their breeding islands. One colony that was at 200,000 pairs pre-infestation has dropped to 14,000 in the 21st century.
Arabian Babbler
“I spend lots of time in the Desert and see them around a lot!”
“in Hebrew, they are called ”“Zanvan”“ which means ”“Tail haver”“! They have a habit of lifting their long tail up and wagging it a bit like wagtails :) Also I often see them in the morning and they are so cute that they almost make living in the middle of the desert worth it despite the giant camel spiders everywhere.”
They have private sex. We still don’t know why because it’s typically the main mated pair doing this, so it’s not like it’s a competition thing. They just like to be private.
Y'all they are So Complex with their social grouping, I would need an entire post to describe them. They’ve been studied as a particularly altruistic species with many helpers to the breeding pair.
Vote
Ancient Murrelet
Arabian Babbler
Ancient Murrelet (Synthliboramphus antiquus)
© Jeff Bleam
#Auktober today. Everyone knows cats can loaf, but did you know birds can potato? (Ancient Murrelet).
The ancient murrelet is the only bird known to migrate across the entire North Pacific. Many migrate 5,000 miles from Canada to winter near Japan and China, even though the climate is nearly identical. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_murrelet