A research team has discovered the first marbled murrelet nest recorded on Haida Gwaii in more than 30 years, marking only the second confirmed nesting site on the northern British Columbia island. The nest was located through a combination of GPS tracking, diet analysis, environmental DNA sampling and ground surveys conducted in partnership with the Council of the Haida Nation and Environment and Climate Change Canada.
The marbled murrelet is a seabird roughly the size of a robin that undergoes dramatic seasonal changes. During breeding season, its plumage becomes brown and cinnamon; in winter, it transforms to black and white suited for ocean life. Unlike most seabirds, the species nests in old-growth forests rather than on cliffs or islands, with each pair laying a single egg on a moss-covered branch high in the canopy.
The birds leave the ocean each spring and fly inland—sometimes more than 80 kilometers—to reach nesting sites, then commute daily to sea to forage for fish to feed their chick. The species is listed as threatened under Canada's Species at Risk Act due to loss of old-growth forest habitat across British Columbia and changing ocean conditions affecting their forage fish prey.
Researchers deployed GPS tags on 10 marbled murrelets captured in Néedan Gawée (Naden Harbor) on northern Haida Gwaii. Three birds showed repeated inland movements suggesting nesting activity. After unsuccessful surveys at two sites, the team conducted dawn surveys at a third location more than 20 kilometers inland and observed an adult bird leaving the nest.
Understanding the connections between marine and terrestrial environments is central to marbled murrelet conservation, researchers said, as the species depends on both ecosystems for survival.
