Kittlitz’s Murrelet
Brachyramphus brevirostris
- Family
- Auks, Puffins, and Murres (Alcidae)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
Overview
Kittlitz's murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) 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.
The common name of this species commemorates the German zoologist Heinrich von Kittlitz, who first collected this species.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Breeds coastal strip up to 75 km inland, patchily from Wrangel Island, Chukotka, northeastern Kamchatka, and northern Sea of Okhotsk (eastern Russia), eastward to Bering Sea and Aleutian islands and southeastern Alaska; winters bays and fjords in breeding range.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Continents
Countries
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Kittlitz's murrelet
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.