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Genus Brachyramphus
Kittlitz's murrelet - The common name of this species commemorates the German zoologist Heinrich von Kittlitz, who first collected this species.
Marbled murrelet - The Marbled Murrelet is a small , chunky auk with a slender black bill. It has pointed wings and plumage that varies by season. The non-breeding plumage is typically white underneath with a black crown, nape, wings and back. The bird closely resembles its closest relative, the Long-billed Murrelet. In fact, these species were considered conspecific up until 1998. They are virtually identical. In breeding plumage, both have a brown mottled body and face. The Long-billed has a pale white throat, lacking in the Marbled. In winter plumage, the Marbled Murrelet has a white neck collar, absent in Long-billed. The Marbled Murrelet is shorter billed and slightly smaller than the Long-billed Murrelet.
Long-billed Murrelet - It closely resembles the Marbled Murrelet, of which it was considered a subspecies until 1998, when Friesen et al. showed that the mtDNA variation was greater between these two forms than between Marbled and Kittlitz's Murrelets.