Alca

One of the most iconic yet tragically limited groups of seabirds, represented today by a single living species: the razorbill (Alca torda). These birds belong to the auk family, relatives of puffins, murres, and guillemots, and are perfectly adapted to life in the cold North Atlantic, where rough seas and steep cliffs shape their existence.

The razorbill, the genus’s sole survivor, is a sleek and striking seabird, instantly recognizable by its sharp black-and-white contrast. Its back, head, and wings are deep black, while its belly is bright white, and its heavy, blunt bill is etched with a white vertical line that gives it its name. The razorbill is smaller than a puffin but more robust than a murre, and it is a master diver, capable of plunging 100 meters (328 feet) underwater to chase schools of fish. Using its wings like flippers, it “flies” through the ocean with impressive agility, showing that although it may look awkward on land, it is a champion in its true element—the sea.

Life for the razorbill, however, is no less dramatic. It breeds in cliffside colonies across the North Atlantic, from Maine and Newfoundland to Britain, Iceland, and Scandinavia. Each pair lays just one egg per year, balancing it precariously on bare rock ledges or in crevices. Both parents take turns incubating and later diving tirelessly to feed their chick, sometimes traveling dozens of kilometers offshore to catch fish. After only a few weeks, the chick leaves the nest before it can fly, leaping into the sea below to follow its father, who continues feeding it at sea until it becomes independent. This dramatic plunge is one of the defining moments of razorbill life, a literal leap of faith into survival.