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WatchList Species Account for Craveri's Murrelet (Synthliboramphus
craveri)
Craveri’s Murrelet breeds on a total
of 10 islands in the Gulf of California and off the Pacific
Coast of Baja California. It winters off the coast to southern
California and south as far as Guatemala. There are about
5,000 breeding pairs but, including pre-breeding birds, as
many as 15,000-20,000 birds in total. Numbers are presumed
to be declining rapidly, due to the presence of introducted
mammalian predators on the islands; recently, with the development
of a management plan and implemention strategy, these predators
have been eliminated from several islands that are present,
past or potential breeding sites.
Management plans have been developed for
all 10 breeding islands, nesting areas have been posted against
trespass, environmental education programs have been developed,
and enforcement of existing regulations has been increased.
Additional threats to the species are from oil pollution from
offshore wells and from ships and mortality from gill-nets.
Craveri’s Murrelet and Xantus’ Murrelet are very
similar and it can be difficult to tell the two apart when
seen at sea.
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