Kittlitz's murrelet is a small alcid found in the waters off Alaska and Eastern Siberia. This near threatened species is, like the closely related marbled murrelet, unusual for seabirds in not being colonial, nesting instead in isolated locations on mountain tops, where the nests were known to Native Americans for many years before skeptical ornithologists described and photographed them. It is a poorly known and little studied species, although concern over its status and that of the closely related marbled murrelet has led to a recent increase in research.
Region
North Pacific Rim
Typical Environment
Found mainly along coastal Alaska, the Aleutians, the Gulf of Alaska, and the Bering and Chukchi seas, with populations extending to eastern Siberia (Chukotka and Kamchatka). At sea it favors cold, nearshore waters, especially around tidewater glaciers and glacial outflow plumes where prey concentrates. Inland, it nests on sparsely vegetated scree, talus, and rocky alpine slopes, often far from the coast. Outside the breeding season it remains in marine nearshore waters, shifting locally with sea-ice and prey availability.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Polar
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Kittlitz's murrelet is a small, glacier-associated seabird of Alaska and eastern Siberia that nests solitarily on barren mountain slopes rather than in coastal colonies. It is closely related to the marbled murrelet but is paler overall and shows distinctive white outer tail feathers. The species often concentrates in turbid waters near tidewater glaciers where meltwater brings prey to the surface. Its reliance on glacial habitats makes it sensitive to climate-driven changes.
Kittlitz's murrelet in flight
Temperament
solitary and wary
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low and direct over the water
Social Behavior
Typically occurs singly or in small, loose groups at sea. Nests are solitary and placed on open, rocky alpine ground, with a single egg laid directly on the substrate. Both parents share incubation and chick-rearing duties, commuting between marine foraging areas and inland nest sites.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Generally quiet; gives thin, high-pitched whistles and raspy squeaks over the ocean. At inland sites it may utter soft contact calls during crepuscular movements.
Plumage
Breeding plumage is mottled buff, brown, and black with a pale face; nonbreeding plumage shows gray upperparts and clean white underparts. Feathers are compact and waterproof for diving. White outer tail feathers are conspicuous in flight.
Diet
Feeds by pursuit diving, capturing small schooling fishes such as sand lance, smelt, and juvenile cod, as well as zooplankton including euphausiids and amphipods. It forages in cold, turbid waters where prey is concentrated by currents and glacial melt. Prey is swallowed underwater or brought to the surface briefly.
Preferred Environment
Nearshore marine waters, especially around tidewater glaciers, glacial fjords, and outflow plumes. Will also forage along exposed coasts and within bays and straits where upwelling or currents aggregate prey.
