Long-billed Murrelet

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Long-billed Murrelet in the UK

An extreme vagrant with a single accepted British record. One was found off Dawlish Warren, Devon, on 7 November 2006, first logged as a Little Auk, then refound off Dawlish town from 11 to 14 November. It was added to Category A of the British List in 2007. It was only the second for Europe, after one found dead in a fishing net on Lake Zurich, Switzerland, in December 1997. A third turned up in Romania in December 2006. The species breeds around the Sea of Okhotsk and Kamchatka, so any bird here is thousands of miles off course.

Where and when to see a Long-billed Murrelet

There is nowhere to go and look for one. The only British bird fed close inshore off the south Devon coast in early November, and the other two European records were inland on fresh water in December. That points to late autumn and early winter, and to any sheltered bay, estuary mouth or large lake. The realistic route to one is checking every small auk you see well in November. If another is found, news will break on the bird information services within minutes and a large twitch will follow.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Sea (extreme vagrant).
Diet: Fish.
Field note: One UK record.

How to identify a Long-billed Murrelet

A small auk, about 25 cm long: a little bigger than a Little Auk and far smaller than a Guillemot. In winter it is blackish above and white below, with a white bar along the scapulars that shows on the swimming bird. The bill is slim and quite long for the bird's size, which is the first thing that rules out the stubby-billed Little Auk. The dark cap comes down to the eye, with narrow white crescents above and below it, and there is no pale collar round the hindneck. It sits low, dives often and flies fast on whirring wings.

Call and song

Silent at sea outside the breeding season, and the Dawlish bird was not heard to call. Voice is no help in finding or identifying one in Britain. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• Little Auk: Little Auk is smaller and neckless with a tiny stub of a bill, and lacks the clean white scapular bar and long slim bill of the murrelet.
• Common Guillemot: A winter Guillemot is half as long again, with a dagger bill and a dark line running back from the eye across a white face.
• Ancient Murrelet: Ancient Murrelet has a grey back contrasting with a black head, a short pale bill and no white scapular bar.

Related guide Rare birds in the UK.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Long-billed Murrelet is a Legendary tier bird, worth +50 points when you log one. It is not on the Red or Amber lists in Birds of Conservation Concern 5.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Aleutian TernLegendary · Seabird colonies (extreme vagrant)
• American White PelicanLegendary · Wetlands (extreme vagrant)
• Ancient MurreletLegendary · Sea (extreme vagrant)
• Ascension FrigatebirdLegendary · Coast (extreme vagrant)
• Barolo ShearwaterLegendary · Open sea (extreme vagrant)
• Black-browed AlbatrossLegendary · Coastal seas (extreme vagrant)

Long-billed Murrelet: quick answers

Has a Long-billed Murrelet ever been seen in the UK?

Yes, once. A bird was off Dawlish Warren and Dawlish, Devon, between 7 and 14 November 2006. More than a thousand birders travelled to see it, some from Scotland.

Where can I see a Long-billed Murrelet in the UK?

You cannot plan for one. Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve is where the only British bird was found, but there has been no repeat. To see the species reliably you need to travel to northern Japan or the Russian Far East.

What does a Long-billed Murrelet eat?

Small fish, caught by diving and swimming underwater with its wings. The Devon bird fed actively close to the beach, which is why so many people saw it well. On its breeding grounds it feeds at sea but nests inland, high in old conifers.

Kit that helps

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