Many vertebrates exhibit marked population cycles when periods of population growth end, with population crashes eliminating a large number of individuals. The Common Murre Uria aalge is an example of ...

Group of common murres on a breeding colony in Alaska. These seabirds dive and swim through the water to feed off small fish, then fly to islands or coastal cliffs to nest in large colonies. Credit: ...

The common murre is a self-sufficient, resilient bird. Though the seabird must eat about half of its body weight in prey each day, common murres are experts at catching the small "forage fish" they ...