A Record of Nocturnal Foraging near an Artificial Light by a Thick-billed Murre Uria lomvia

Abstract

A Thick-billed Murre Uria lomvia was observed foraging at Hiura fishing port, northern Japan (41°43′N, 141°03′E), around midnight on May 17 and 18, 2010. The sea surface, where the murre dived and foraged, was brightly illuminated by an artificial light. Several taxa of zooplankton including amphipods, a known dietary item of murres, were swarming below the sea surface. The murre foraged near the artificial light on a dark night, which might possibly be related to the abundance of prey, namely zooplankton, and/or to the presence of sufficient light to search for food.