Scripps's murrelet
Synthliboramphus scrippsi (Green & Arnold, 1939)
The scripps's murrelet (Synthliboramphus scrippsi) is a species in the family Alcidae, order Charadriiformes. Recorded adults weigh 166.1 g to 173.2 g and live up to 15 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.

Quick facts about the scripps's murrelet
- Weight
- 166.1 g – 173.2 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 15 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- marinesrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 32.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1.8src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 2 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Aquaticsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the scripps's murrelet live?
Not recorded
What is the scripps's murrelet?
Scripps's murrelet (Synthliboramphus scrippsi) is a small seabird found in the California Current system in the Pacific Ocean. This auk breeds on islands off California and Mexico. It is threatened by predators introduced to its breeding colonies and by oil spills.
This species and the Guadalupe murrelet were considered conspecific and were known collectively as Xantus's murrelet until 2012. The two species are now considered distinct based on a lack of evidence of interbreeding at a shared nesting colony on the San Benito Islands, differences in facial pattern and bill shape, and differences in vocalizations and genetics.
From the Wikipedia article “Scripps's murrelet” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scripps%27s_murrelet&oldid=1323641846), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the scripps's murrelet endangered?
The scripps's murrelet is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species. What the categories mean.
How is the scripps's murrelet classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderCharadriiformes
- familyAlcidae
- genusSynthliboramphus
- SpeciesSynthliboramphus scrippsi (Green & Arnold, 1939)
Synonyms Brachyramphus hypoleucus scrippsi, Endomychura hypoleuca scrippsi, Eudomychura hypoleuca scrippsi, Synthiliboramphus hypoleucos scrippsi, Synthliboramphus hypoleucus scrippsi, Synthliboramphus scrippsi scrippsi
Other names and names in other languages (32)
- Scripp's murreletEnglish
- موريليت سكريبسArabic
- gavotí de ScrippsCatalan
- alkoun kalifornskýCzech
- Californisk DværgalkDanish
- ScrippsalkGerman
- KalifornienalkGerman
- Kalifornischer AlkGerman
- kalifornia urietoEsperanto
- Mérgulo de ScrippsSpanish
- Mérgulo californiano aliclaroSpanish
- kalifornianmurriFinnish
- Guillemot de ScrippsFrench
- crnokapa njorkaCroatian
- Urietta di ScrippsItalian
- スクリップスウミスズメJapanese
- Kaliforninė alkaLithuanian
- Scripps' AlkDutch
- kaliforniastarikNorwegian
- morzyk żałobnyPolish
- Mérgulo-de-scrippsPortuguese
- mérgulo-da-califórniaPortuguese
- torda-matizada-da-califórniaPortuguese
- Калифорнийский старикRussian
- starček čierno-bielySlovak
- Skripsova njorčicaSerbian
- kalifornienalkaSwedish
- Scripps californiaalkaSwedish
- Scripps AlkıTurkish
- моржик тихоокеанськийUkrainian
- 斯氏海雀Chinese
- 史克氏海雀Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the scripps's murrelet
Other species in the same genus Synthliboramphus.

Ancient murrelet
Synthliboramphus antiquus

Japanese murrelet
Synthliboramphus wumizusume

Guadalupe murrelet
Synthliboramphus hypoleucus

Craveri's murrelet
Synthliboramphus craveri
CompareScripps's murrelet vs Ancient murreletScripps's murrelet vs Japanese murreletScripps's murrelet vs Guadalupe murreletScripps's murrelet vs Craveri's murrelet
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the scripps's murrelet?
An adult scripps's murrelet weighs 166.1 g – 173.2 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the scripps's murrelet endangered?
The scripps's murrelet is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
How long does the scripps's murrelet live?
The scripps's murrelet has a recorded lifespan of 15 years.
What kind of animal is the scripps's murrelet?
The scripps's murrelet (Synthliboramphus scrippsi) belongs to the family Alcidae in the order Charadriiformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Scripps's murrelet (Synthliboramphus scrippsi). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/scrippss-murrelet
“Scripps's murrelet (Synthliboramphus scrippsi).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/scrippss-murrelet.
@misc{scrippss_murrelet_2026,
title = {Scripps's murrelet (Synthliboramphus scrippsi)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/scrippss-murrelet},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}