Part of the breeding colony of Common Guillemots, Uria aalge, on the Farne Islands, off the coast of Northumberland in north-east England. This species is known as Common Murre or Thin-billed Murre in North America. Common Guillmots / Murres are found near coastlines in the North Atlantic and North Pacific. They breed in large to very large colonies, often associated with other species of auks as well as with other seabirds.
The bird in the middle of the photo, with a small fish in its bill, is a ‘mutant’ form or cline known as the Bridled Guillemot. It is not regarded as a separate sub-species and apparently one single gene causes the difference. This form is more common the further north the birds are observed.
The photo shows some ‘pecking’ behaviour, which is fairly common on the breeding ledges as space can be very ‘tight’, with indidividuals often touching each other, necessitating the need to guard their tiny nest space.
This photo is copyright © Liz Leyden, all rights reserved.
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