Razorbill

Alca tordaOrder: CHARADRIIFORMES Family: Auks, Murres and Puffins (Alcidae)

Codes: Common Name: RAZO Scientific Name: ALCTOR ITIS Taxonomic No.: 176971

Breeding Location:

Rocky cliffs, Beaches, coastal

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Colonial

Breeding Population:

Casual to FL coast

Egg Color:

Green, tan or white with black, brown markings

Number of Eggs:

1 - 2

Incubation Days:

35 - 37

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Pebbles, grass and other vegetation.

Migration:

Nonmigratory

General

Razorbill: Large seabird with black head, neck, and upperparts, white line from bill to eye, and white underparts. Large, wedge-shaped bill is black with a central, thin white band. Sexes are similar. Winter adult has white on throat extending to back of head and lacks white line behind bill. Juvenile (1st winter) resembles winter adult but has smaller, all-black bill and less white on neck and head.

Range and Habitat

Razorbill: Breeds in coastal sites from Spitsbergen, through Scandinavia to Iceland, Britain, and northwest France. Spends winters as far south as Spain and Morocco; also found in Greenland and the east coast of North America south to Maine. Frequents coastal and oceanic waters; breeds on coastal cliffs and rock stacks in the summer.

Breeding and Nesting

Razorbill: One or two green, tan, or white eggs, marked with black and brown, are laid in a nest made of pebbles, grass, and other vegetation built directly on bare rock. Incubation ranges from 35 to 37 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Razorbill: Eats fish, such as herring, whiting, and sand eels; also takes crustaceans and marine worms; forages by diving beneath the water surface and swimming with its wings.

Vocalization

Razorbill: Call is a deep, creaking "urrr" or a harsh "arrc-arrc."

Similar Species

Razorbill: Thick-billed and Common murres have longer, thinner bills and lack white band on bills. Atlantic Puffin has orange legs and feet, pale gray to white face and cheeks, and large triangular bill with red-orange tip and blue-gray base surrounded by yellow.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Razorbill

Razorbill: Large seabird with black head, neck, upperparts, white line from bill to eye, and white underparts. Large, wedge-shaped bill is black with a central, thin white band. Black legs and feet. Feeds on fish, marine worms, squid and crustaceans. Swift low direct flight.

● Song: "urrr", "arrc-arrc"

● Foraging & Feeding: Razorbill: Eats fish, such as herring, whiting, and sand eels; also takes crustaceans and marine worms; forages by diving beneath the water surface and swimming with its wings.

● Breeding & nesting: Razorbill: One or two green, tan, or white eggs, marked with black and brown, are laid in a nest made of pebbles, grass, and other vegetation built directly on bare rock. Incubation ranges from 35 to 37 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Razorbill: Thick-billed and Common murres have longer, thinner bills and lack white band on bills. Atlantic Puffin has orange legs and feet, pale gray to white face and cheeks, and large triangular bill with red-orange tip and blue-gray base surrounded by yellow.

Flight Pattern

Rapid powerful flight low over water on whirring wings. Flies in straight lines when foraging or traveling long distances.

Razorbill Breeding Male Body Illustration

● Range & Habitat: Razorbill: Breeds in coastal sites from Spitsbergen, through Scandinavia to Iceland, Britain, and northwest France. Spends winters as far south as Spain and Morocco; also found in Greenland and the east coast of North America south to Maine. Frequents coastal and oceanic waters; breeds on coastal cliffs and rock stacks in the summer.

^BreedingMonogamous, Colonial

^PopulationCasual to FL coast

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight27.2 Ounces

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America

Razorbill

Breeding Location:

Breeding Type:

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Nest Material:

Migration:

Recommended Products:

General

Range and Habitat

Breeding and Nesting

Foraging and Feeding

Vocalization

Similar Species

Razorbill

Flight Pattern