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Razor-billed auk
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razor-billed auk
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Also called:
razorbill
Related Topics:
Auk
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razor-billed auk
razor-billed auk Razor-billed auk (Alca torda).

Razor-billed auk

bird
Also known as: Alca torda, razorbill
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Razor-billed auk, (Alca torda), black and white seabird of the North Atlantic, bearing a sharp, heavy, compressed beak. About 40 cm (16 inches) long, it is the largest living member of the auk family, Alcidae (order Charadriiformes), and the nearest kin to the extinct great auk. Razor-billed auks are deep divers, feeding on fish (including shellfish). They breed along North Atlantic coasts; some migrate as far south as the Mediterranean Sea.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.