Ancient murrelet
| Ancient murrelet | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Charadriiformes |
| Family: | Alcidae |
| Genus: | Synthliboramphus |
| Species: | S. antiquus |
| Binomial name | |
| Synthliboramphus antiquus (Gmelin, JF, 1789) | |
| Subspecies | |
| |
Breeding Year-round Nonbreeding | |
The ancient murrelet (Synthliboramphus antiquus) is a bird in the auk family. The English term "murrelet" is a diminutive of "murre", a word of uncertain origins, but which may imitate the call of the common guillemot. Ancient murrelets are called "ancient" because they have grey on the back like a shawl, as worn by the elderly.