The Ocean is Changing. And the Common Murre is showing us what that can mean.
Common Murre
Common Murres are remarkable seabirds. They are powerful underwater hunters, using their wings to essentially fly beneath the surface in pursuit of fish. They can dive hundreds of feet, although most of their prey is taken much closer to the surface.
But finding that next meal takes energy.
When ocean conditions change, so does the food web. During El Niño conditions, cold-water fish can move farther north or deeper into the water column. Schooling fish can become more dispersed and less accessible to the predators that depend on them.
For a murre, that can mean working harder for the same meal.
A deeper fish means a deeper dive. A more dispersed food source can mean more time searching. And if prey move farther north into cooler waters, birds may have to travel farther to find the productive areas where food is concentrated.
Research has shown that murres can respond to difficult foraging conditions by increasing their diving effort and spending more time underwater. In one study, murres nearly doubled their daily time spent diving when prey were deeper and energy demands were higher.
Eventually, there can be a dangerous imbalance:
More energy spent finding food.
Less energy gained from the food they find.
And when that balance tips too far, starvation can follow.
California wildlife officials have been investigating increased seabird mortality, including Common Murres, and reported in March 2026 that starvation was the primary finding among the birds examined.
Baby Common Murre
This is why stories like the Common Murre matter to us at the Human Wildlife Coexistence Initiative.
We are not making a documentary about Common Murres. But their story is another window into the larger crisis we are exploring in Wings in Crisis.
Along our coast, wildlife is responding to a rapidly changing ocean. Wildlife rehabilitators see the consequences. Scientists study the changes. And the animals themselves are telling us, in the most heartbreaking way possible, that something is different.
We can't rescue our way out of this crisis. We have to inspire people to prevent it.
That is why we are working to finish Wings in Crisis.
Your support will help us complete the film and bring it to audiences through screenings, education and community conversations.
The wildlife is already showing us what is happening.
Now it's our turn to listen.
written by…….Debbie McGuire