Marbled Murrelet Washington

The marbled murrelet is a small robin sized diving seabird that feeds primarily on fish and invertebrates in near shore marine waters.

Marbled murrelet washington.

All marbled murrelet nests found in washington oregon and california were located in old growth trees that ranged from 38 inches 88 cm d b h. Marbled murrelet conservation strategy adopted the board of natural resources adopted a long term conservation strategy for the marbled murrelet at its meeting tuesday december 3 2019. Murrelets need large areas of coastal and near coastal old growth forest for nesting. They locate their nest in a depression on a mat of moss lichen or debris accumulations on large branches.

In washington marbled murrelets nest in mature and old growth conifer forests and sometimes in comparatively younger forests with residual old growth trees. Nests were located high above the ground and had good overhead protection but allowed easy access to the exterior forest. With a mean of 80 inches 203 cm d b h. Areas of winter concentration are the southern and eastern end of the strait of juan de fuca sequim clallam county discovery and chuckanut bays whatcom county the san juan islands san juan county and puget sound.

It spends the majority of its time on the ocean roosting and feeding but comes inland up to 70 miles 113 kilometers to nest in forest stands with old growth forest characteristics. After almost two decades under an interim plan that state officials say wasn t working the state released its long term conservation plan friday for the marbled. Marbled murrelets are seabirds that forage in marine waters but nest in forests. Marbled murrelets brachyramphus marmoratus are small seabirds that nest in old growth forests and feed in the pacific ocean.

Marbled murrelet are found year round in coastal areas throughout washington. Threatened the marbled murrelet is federally listed under the endangered species act as a threatened species in washington oregon and california and state listed as endangered in california and as threatened in oregon and washington. Fws s threatened endangered species system track information about listed species in the united states.