Northern Guillemot
VU

Northern Guillemot

Uria aalge

UnknownLCEULCEU

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_murre

Overview

A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.

Northern Guillemots face significant population declines primarily due to climate change impacts on their marine food webs, with warming ocean temperatures reducing the availability of key prey species like small fish and zooplankton. Oil spills pose an acute threat to breeding colonies, as these seabirds spend most of their lives on the ocean surface where they are highly vulnerable to petroleum contamination. Overfishing of forage fish species has reduced food availability during critical breeding periods, while plastic pollution and entanglement in fishing nets contribute to ongoing mortality rates.

Threat summary

Habitat

Northern Guillemots inhabit coastal waters and breed on narrow cliff ledges, rocky outcrops, and offshore islands throughout the North Atlantic and North Pacific. During non-breeding seasons, they disperse across open ocean waters, diving to depths of up to 180 meters to forage for fish, particularly herring, sardines, and cod.

MARINE· majorTERRESTRIAL· major

Other threatened species in Alcidae

TystieVU

Tystie

Cepphus grylle

Unknown
Thick-billed Murre / Brunnich's GuillemotEN

Thick-billed Murre / Brunnich's Guillemot

Uria lomvia

Unknown

Frequently asked questions

Why is Northern Guillemot classified as Vulnerable?
Northern Guillemot is classified as Vulnerable because the population is declining and the species faces a high risk of extinction in the medium-term future if current pressures continue. Northern Guillemots face significant population declines primarily due to climate change impacts on their marine food webs, with warming ocean temperatures reducing the availability of key prey species like small fish and zooplankton. Oil spills pose an acute threat to breeding colonies, as these seabirds spend most of their lives on the ocean surface where they are highly vulnerable to petroleum contamination. Overfishing of forage fish species has reduced food availability during critical breeding periods, while plastic pollution and entanglement in fishing nets contribute to ongoing mortality rates.
Where does Northern Guillemot live?
Northern Guillemot occurs in across multiple regions. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Northern Guillemot?
The main threats to Northern Guillemot are ai-1, ai-2, ai-3, and ai-4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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