Japanese Murrelet Facts

Japanese Murrelet Facts at a Glance

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.

It belongs to the family Alcidae in the order Charadriiformes. This profile is designed as a concise starting point; the source names below document the review basis.

Japanese Murrelet Habitat

Japanese Murrelets live in Coastal habitats. Their recorded range includes the boreo-cool and temperate-subtropical waters of the northwest Pacific. Suitable food, shelter, and conditions for raising young help shape that range.

What Do Japanese Murrelets Eat?

Japanese Murrelets have a carnivore diet that includes The Japanese murrelet's diet mostly comprises krill, other planktonic crustaceans, crangonid shimps, larval and small pelagic fish, including Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii), sculpin (Triglops), and smelt (Osmerus), sand eels (Ammodytes), and sandlances (Hypoptychus dybowskii).. The food available in their environment shapes how they find, hunt, forage for, or receive meals.

Japanese Murrelet Conservation Status

Japanese Murrelet is listed here as Vulnerable. Protecting habitat, maintaining healthy prey or food sources, and reducing human pressure are important parts of conserving wild populations.