Razorbill
(Alca torda)
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Animal Type
Birds
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Exhibits
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Range
Europe
North America
Overview
Razorbills have white and black feathered bodies with a distinctive white stripe on their bills during the summer. They have short wings that they use to propel themselves through both the air and water. With their wings, they can dive as deep as 300 feet, and they steer with their feet.
Razorbills are auks, a group of seabirds that also includes puffins and guillemots. They are the closest living relatives to the extinct great auk. The flightless great auk looked a lot like a razorbill, with a black body and a white belly. They went extinct in the mid 1800s because humans destroyed their habitats and hunted them for their feathers and meat.
Quick Facts
Learn more about razorbills! Did you know razorbills nest in the same areas throughout their lives? Razorbills start breeding at around four years old, and most return to their colony to breed. They nest in crevices on rocky islands or sea cliffs. Chicks are flightless when they leave the colony, so their dad will follow them and feed them for several weeks until they're ready to take off on their own.
Razorbills primarily live off coasts and shorelines and return to land to breed.
They mostly eat small fish, such as capelin and herring. Razorbills usually dive for food for 20 seconds at a time, but they can stay underwater for up to one minute.
Razorbills are about 15 inches tall and weigh about 1.5 pounds.
These birds are near threatened largely due to limited food options and slow reproductive success.
Different species of gulls prey on razorbills.
Explore Exhibit Residents
Learn more about the animals that share an exhibit with this one.
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Sea Stars (Asteroidea)
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Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica)
Atlantic puffins have a distinctive large, triangular red-orange bill with a blue-gray base and yellow ridge.
Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni)
These fish hide among the spines of sea urchins for protection.
Anemones (Actiniaria)
Sea anemones are named after and resemble flowers.