murrelet

American

[mur-lit] / ˈmɜr lɪt /

noun

any of several small, chunky diving birds of the family Alcidae, of North Pacific coasts.

murrelet British

/ ˈmɜːlɪt /

noun

any of several small diving birds of the genus Brachyramphus and related genera, similar and related to the auks: family Alcidae, order Charadriiformes

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of murrelet

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75; murre + -let

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

murrelet

Artificial intelligence analysis of data gathered by acoustic recording devices is a promising new tool for monitoring the marbled murrelet and other secretive, hard-to-study species, research by Oregon State University and the U.S.

From Science Daily ● May 2, 2024

"Next, we're testing whether murrelet sounds can actually predict reproduction and occupancy in the species, but that is still a few steps off," Betts said.

From Science Daily ● May 2, 2024

With no terrestrial predators to steal their eggs, these islands are breeding sanctuaries for ground- and cliff-nesting seabirds like the western gull, Scripps’s murrelet and the ashy storm petrel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2023

Spotted owls and red tree voles live in old Douglas fir trees, as does the marbled murrelet.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 18, 2022

The marbled murrelet needs thick tree branches in mature forest to raise its young.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 30, 2019

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023