Its head is darker than that of a common murre. They look shorter than the common murre in flight. The life history traits of the razorbill are similar to that of the common murre. Certain groups of seabirds called common murre migrate north by swimming. The common murre is in length with a wingspan. Other populous colonies include the black-legged kittiwake and the common murre. The common murre flies with fast wing beats and has a flight speed of . The common murre has a variety of calls, including a soft purring noise. The common murre or common guillemot ("Uria aalge") is a large auk.