ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT PROFILE

PROTECTION STATUS: Not listed; candidate only

RANGE: Off the west coast of North America, primarily occurring from Southern California to central Baja California, Mexico

THREATS: Predation from introduced cats and rodents, oil spills and water pollution, artificial light pollution from fishing vessels and offshore energy terminals, increased shipping traffic, incidental bycatch, climate change, and proposed liquid natural gas facilities

POPULATION TREND: During the last century, the already small range of the Xantus’s murrelet shrank as populations were extirpated from several locations. Today, murrelets nest on only 12 islands scattered along 500 miles of coastline. Human activities continue to threaten the remaining population, estimated at 8,000 to 18,000 breeding birds worldwide.