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Razorbill

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Also known as Alca torda

The razorbill (Alca torda) is a North Atlantic colonial seabird and the only extant member of the genus Alca of the family Alcidae, the auks. It is the closest living relative of the extinct great auk (Pinguinus impennis). Historically, it has also been known as "auk", "razor-billed auk" and "lesser auk".

OverviewAI-generated

The razorbill (*Alca torda*) is a species of bird within the family Alcidae and order Charadriiformes. Classified under the class Aves and phylum Chordata, it belongs to the genus *Alca*. The species was described by Linnaeus in 1758 and is currently accepted as a valid taxon. Its conservation status is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List, a designation recorded in 2021.

This marine organism has a wingspan of 0.661. While its taxon range is noted as Africa, the species is not extinct. Other common names for the razorbill include Álka, Alke, and Tordalk.

Synthesized by Vinony from 30 facts across 5 sources: Wikidata, iNaturalist, WoRMS, IUCN Red List, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Least Concern

razorbill

Species

  1. PhylumChordata
  2. ClassAves
  3. OrderCharadriiformes
  4. FamilyAlcidae
Habitatmarine
Observations10,774

via IUCN

~15 min read

Encyclopedic overview

15 sections
Contents
  • Taxonomy
  • Fossil record
  • Subspecies
  • Description
  • Distribution and habitat
  • Behaviour
  • Reproduction
  • Nest sites
  • Incubation and hatching
  • Feeding
  • Diet
  • Predators
  • Conservation and management
  • References
  • External links

The razorbill (Alca torda) is a North Atlantic colonial seabird and the only extant member of the genus Alca of the family Alcidae, the auks. It is the closest living relative of the extinct great auk (Pinguinus impennis). Historically, it has also been known as "auk", "razor-billed auk" and "lesser auk".

Razorbills are primarily black with a white underside. The male and female are identical in plumage; however, males are generally larger than females. This agile bird, which is capable of both flight and diving, has a predominantly aquatic lifestyle and only comes to land in order to breed. It is monogamous, choosing one partner for life. Females lay one egg per year. Razorbills nest along coastal cliffs in enclosed or slightly exposed crevices. The parents spend equal amounts of time incubating, and once the chick has hatched, they take turns foraging for their young.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Razorbill” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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