652 Featured Specimen

Razorbill

Alca torda

A black-and-white auk of North Atlantic cliffs, recognized by a tall flattened bill marked with a white groove.

Range

Habitat range map

Native range Occasional / Transient

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Lives in cold North Atlantic waters and gathers on rocky cliffs and island crevices during the breeding season.

The back is black and the belly white. The deep flattened bill has a white groove, with a white facial line.

At sea it dives and swims underwater with its wings. Breeding birds crowd into colonies and often return to the same site.

It dives for small fish such as sand lance, herring, and capelin.

A single egg is laid on a ledge or in a crevice with little nesting material. Both parents incubate and bring fish to the chick.

Oil pollution, fishing-net bycatch, and changes in prey linked to ocean temperature affect populations.