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Dovekie
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Illustration of a Dovekie (Alle alle) in winter plumage, showing a small black-and-white seabird with a dark head and back, white underparts, and short wings, floating on water. bill variations among the Lari and Alcae
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Quick Facts
Also called:
little auk (Alle alle)
Related Topics:
Auk
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Illustration of a Dovekie (Alle alle) in winter plumage, showing a small black-and-white seabird with a dark head and back, white underparts, and short wings, floating on water.
Dovekie (Alle alle) with winter plumage

Dovekie

bird
Also known as: Alle alle, Plautus alle, little auk
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•History

Dovekie, small, black and white seabird of the North Atlantic. The dovekie belongs to the family Alcidae (order Charadriiformes). It is about 20 centimetres (8 inches) long, with a short bill. Its legs and wings are short, and its feet are webbed. It is a proficient diver, feeding on fish, mollusks, and crustaceans. Dovekies breed on rocky coasts and islands of the Arctic Ocean, from Greenland to Novaya Zemlya, Russia. They nest in large colonies, each breeding pair laying a single egg in a rock cranny on a hillside, or, on peaty ground, in a burrow.