Distribution and Habitat
The breeding habitat is islands, rocky shores, cliffs and sea stacks. The range is:
| Subspecies | Range | Appearance |
|---|---|---|
| Uria aalge aalge | Nominate subspecies, eastern Canada, Greenland, Iceland, northern British Isles and southern Norway | |
| U. a. albionis | Southern British Isles, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal | Smaller than nominate, chocolate brown upperparts |
| U. a. hyperborea | Northern Norway, Northwest Russia, Barents Sea | Larger than U. a. aalge, black upperparts |
| U. a. intermedia | Baltic Sea | Intermediate between U. a. aalge and U. a. albionis |
| U. a. spiloptera | Faroe Islands | |
| U. a. inornata | North Pacific, Japan, Eastern Russia, Alaska | Largest subspecies and largest auk, slightly larger than Thick-billed Murre |
| U. a. californica | California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia |
Some birds are permanent residents; northern birds migrate south to open waters near New England, southern California, Japan, Korea and the western Mediterranean. Common Murres rest on the water in the winter and this may have consequences for their metabolism. In the Black-legged Kittiwake (which shares this winter habit) resting metabolism is 40% higher on water than it is in air.
The population is large, perhaps 7.3 million breeding pairs or 18 million individuals. It is presently stable, but potential threats include excessive hunting (legal in Newfoundland), pollution and oil spills.
Read more about this topic: Common Murre
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