Photo: USFWS Pacific Region · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Seabirds
Marbled Murrelet
Brachyramphus marmoratus
A small, secretive seabird with brown marbled breeding plumage. It is one of the rarest and most unusual alcids — nesting high in the mossy branches of old-growth trees, sometimes miles from the ocean.
Current regional viewing notes
Nearshore waters of Icy Strait and Hoonah harbor; nests in old-growth Sitka spruce forests inland from the coast.
Dataset note: This legacy field can be specific to Southeast Alaska/Hoonah and is not a complete statewide range statement.
Habitat
Nearshore ocean waters; nests on moss-covered branches of old-growth coniferous forests.
Diet
Small fish such as sand lance, herring, and capelin; also krill.
Natural history note
The Marbled Murrelet's nest wasn't discovered until 1974, when a chick was found on a mossy old-growth tree limb 150 feet above the ground in California.