X+is+for+Xantus

__What is it like?:__
Aside from looking like a bird, the Xantus Murrelet stands at about 10 inches in length, slightly smaller then an American Robin. It eats tuna, larval fish, anchovies and sardines. It is a wing-propelled diver, chasing down prey under the water with powerful wing beats.

__Who are its enemy's?:__
Its major threats to the survival of this animal are the mammals on its nesting island. Feral cats have been responsible for eradicating murrelets from a number of islands.

__How many are there?__
There are about 5,600 of these little birds in the entire world. Looking at the map below you can see how much area these guys cover. Most of these birds are rarely seen but they show up every now and again to the public at beaches or small islands.

__Sources__ [|Sterlingbirds.com] [|Whatbird.com] [|Audubon]

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Michael Blaser