Japanese Murrelet
Synthliboramphus wumizusume
- Family
- Auks, Puffins, and Murres (Alcidae)
- Order
- Charadriiformes
Overview
The Japanese murrelet or crested murrelet (Synthliboramphus wumizusume) is a small seabird in the auk family that occurs along the remote rocky coasts and in the offshore waters of Japan, and may also be found after the breeding season as far as Sakhalin to the north and in particular off South Korea. With a small and declining population, estimated as of 2017 to total 2,500–10,000 individuals, it is the rarest alcid, and the most at risk of extinction.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Breeds western North Pacific coasts and islands from off western Honshu, Kyushu, and Izu Is. (central and southern Japan), south of Korean Peninsula, and perhaps far southeastern Russia; winters Hokkaido to southeastern Japan.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Japanese 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.
