- Many seabird numbers have declined in recent decades.
- A marine heatwave in the Pacific killed an estimated one million common guillemots, according to a new report.
- As climate change continues, the risk will only rise.
The common guillemot (known as the common murre in North America) breeds in both the Pacific and the Atlantic and is among the most abundant seabirds in the northern hemisphere. But like many other seabirds, its numbers have declined over the last few decades. Part of that decline is due to the marine environment – a seabird’s home and hunting ground – becoming increasingly unpredictable and difficult to survive in.