Razorbill

Razorbill, adult, breeding plumage

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Razorbill, nonbreeding plumage

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1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Food
7. Behavior
8. Reproduction
9. Conservation Status
10. Other Names

A large auk of the northern Atlantic Ocean, the Razorbill can be found offshore in winter as far south as New Jersey, and occasionally Virginia.

Cool Facts

• The oldest known Razorbill was a female banded as a nestling in 1962 and resighted, breeding, in 2000, 38 years later.

Description

• Size: 43 cm (17 in)
• Wingspan: 63-68 cm (25-27 in)
• Weight: 505-890 g (17.83-31.42 ounces)

• Medium-sized waterbird.
• Black back and head, white underside.
• Stout, deep, round-tipped bill.
• Throat white in nonbreeding plumage, with some white on face.

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike.

Immature

Similar to nonbreeding adult, but with shorter, shallower bill without white lines or grooves.

Similar Species

• Common and Thick-billed murres very similar from a distance, but they are more slender, with thinner, more pointed bills, and do not cock their tails up into the air.

Sound

Generally silent. Makes growling noises near nest.

Range

Range Map

© 2004 Cornell Lab of Ornithology

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Summer Range

Breeds along coast from northeastern Canada southward to Maine. Also in Iceland, Greenland, and northern Europe.

Winter Range

Winters at sea from Newfoundland southward to New Jersey. Also off Europe.

Food

Schooling fish, crustaceans, and other invertebrates.

Behavior

Foraging

Dives underwater to capture prey, using its wings to swim.

Reproduction

Nest Type

Shallow bowl of pebbles, vegetation, feathers, bones, and shells. Placed in open spaces between boulders, in cracks in rocks, caves, or on narrow cliff ledges. Nests in colonies.

Egg Description

Whitish with dark blotches around large end.

Conservation Status

Exploitation by people for food greatly reduced Razorbill populations until the early 20th century. With protection, the species increased. Populations currently thought to be stable or increasing throughout major parts of global range.

Other Names

Petit pingouin (French)
Alca común (Spanish)

Sources used to construct this page:

Hipfner, J. M., and G. Chapdelaine. 2002. Razorbill (Alca torda). In The Birds of North America, No. 635 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.