murrelet

American  

[mur-lit] / ˈmɜr lɪt /

noun

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

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murrelet British  

/ ˈmɜːlɪt /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of murrelet

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

Example Sentences

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

Researchers developed a machine learning algorithm known as a convolutional neural network to mine the recordings for murrelet calls.

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

Rock blasting, new construction and road building would not be allowed near murrelet habitat, with some exceptions.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 30, 2019