Craveri's murrelet
Craveri's murrelet is a small seabird which breeds on offshore islands in both the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California off the Baja peninsula of Mexico. It also wanders fairly regularly as far as central California in the US, primarily during post-breeding dispersal. It is almost never seen from or near the shore. With an estimated population of 6,000-10,000 breeding pairs, its population is listed as vulnerable.
Description and Identification
The Craveri's murrelet is a small black and white auk with a small head and thin sharp bill. It resembles the closely related Scripps's murrelet, with which it shares the distinction of being the most southerly living of all the auk species.The Craveri's murrelet has a partial neck collar, and dusky underwings. Craveri's black face mask dips a bit further down the face compared to the Scripps's. Both species can be also separated by voice. Craveri's murrelet also has a tendency to hold its tail upward when sitting on the water, a trait Scripps's does not show.
Behaviour
Craveri's murrelet feeds far out at sea on larval fish such as herring, rockfish, and lanternfish. Like all auks it is a wing-propelled diver, chasing down prey under the water with powerful wingbeats. It flies well, and can take off without taxiing.The Craveri's murrelet nests in small crevices, caves and under dense bushes on arid islands in loose scattered colonies. It returns to the colony only at night, laying two eggs which are incubated for about a month. Like other murrelets of the genus Synthliboramphus the chicks are highly precocial, leaving the nest within two days of hatching and running actively towards the sea, where the parents call to them. Once at sea the family swims to offshore waters. Little is known about the time at sea due to difficulties in studying them.