Guadalupe murrelet

Guadalupe murrelet
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Alcidae
Genus: Synthliboramphus
Species:
S. hypoleucus
Binomial name
Synthliboramphus hypoleucus
(Xántus, J, 1860)

The Guadalupe murrelet (Synthliboramphus hypoleucus) or Xantus's murrelet 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.[2][3]

This species together with the Scripps's murrelet were considered conspecific and were classified under S. hypoleucus; known collectively as Xantus's murrelet until 2012. Enough evidence was collected to consider both species distinct based on a lack of evidence of interbreeding where the two species nest together on the San Benito Islands, differences in facial pattern and bill shape, vocalizations and genetics.[4][5][6]

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2018). "Synthliboramphus hypoleucus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T62101215A132673655. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T62101215A132673655.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ Jones, Holly P.; Williamhenry, R.; Howald, Gregg R.; Tershy, Bernie R.; Croll, Donald A. (December 2005). "Predation of artificial Xantus's murrelet (Synthliboramphus hypoleucus scrippsi) nests before and after black rat (Rattus rattus) eradication". Environmental Conservation. 32 (4): 320–325. Bibcode:2005EnvCo..32..320J. doi:10.1017/S0376892906002608. ISSN 1469-4387. S2CID 49360219.
  3. ^ Nettleship, David N.; Kirwan, Guy M. (2020). "Guadalupe Murrelet (Synthliboramphus hypoleucus), version 1.0". Birds of the World. doi:10.2173/bow.xanmur1.01. S2CID 216216779.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Birt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Jehl was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Keitt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).