One of the most striking seabirds of the North Atlantic, and the only living member of the genus Alca. Sleek, black-and-white, and sharply built, it carries an elegance that sets it apart from its close relatives like puffins and guillemots. With its jet-black back, stark white belly, and a thick, blunt bill etched with a bold white line, the razorbill looks like it has been painted with precision.
Razorbills are superbly adapted to life at sea. While they can fly with fast, whirring wingbeats, they are far more impressive underwater. Like penguins (to which they are not closely related), razorbills use their wings as flippers, “flying” through the water in pursuit of small fish such as herring, sand eels, and sprats. They are powerful divers, reaching depths of 100 meters (328 feet) or more, making them among the deepest divers of the auk family. At sea, they are rarely alone, often joining flocks with puffins, murres, and kittiwakes, turning the water’s surface into a bustling, noisy scene.
Breeding is one of the most dramatic parts of razorbill life. Each spring, they return to towering sea cliffs across the North Atlantic, from Maine and Newfoundland to Iceland, Britain, and Norway. Unlike puffins, they do not dig burrows; instead, they lay a single pear-shaped egg directly on bare rock ledges or tucked into crevices. Both parents share incubation duties and, after hatching, take turns diving to feed their chick. Perhaps the most breathtaking moment comes when the chick is only two to three weeks old: too young to fly, it launches itself off the cliff in the middle of the night, fluttering and tumbling down into the ocean below. There, its father awaits, guiding and feeding it at sea until it learns to fend for itself. This “parachuting” leap is one of nature’s most daring rites of passage.
Distribution
Algeria
Austria
Belgium
Canada
Croatia
Czechia
Denmark
Egypt
Estonia
Faroe Islands
Finland
France
Germany
Gibraltar
Greenland
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Latvia
Lithuania
Malta
Mauritania
Montenegro
Morocco
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Russia
Saint Pierre
Serbia
Slovenia
Spain
Svalbard
Sweden
Tunisia
United Kingdom
United StatesAnything we've missed?
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Terrestrial / Aquatic
Altricial / Precocial
Polygamous / Monogamous
Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic
Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal
Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Flock
Diet: Carnivore / Herbivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore
Migratory: Yes / No
Domesticated: Yes / No
Dangerous: Yes / No
