It resembles the closely related Craveri's murrelet, with which it shares the distinction of being the most southerly living of all the auk species.

It nests in loose scattered colonies on arid islands, typically in small crevices and caves and under dense bushes.

A female shot at Isla Guadalupe at the end of June was moulting its primary remiges (flight feathers) and unable to fly.

Scripps's murrelet is mainly threatened by oil spills, as much of its population lives near the busy shipping lanes connecting Los Angeles to other ports.

Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration removed invasive rats from Anacapa Island.