dovekie

dovekie
/duv"kee/, n.
1. a small, short-billed, black and white auk, Alle alle, of northern Atlantic and Arctic oceans.
2. Brit. the black guillemot.
Also, dovekey.
[1815-25; DOVE1 + -kie compound suffix (see -OCK, -IE)]

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▪ bird
also called  little auk (Alle alle) 
 small, black and white seabird of the North Atlantic. The dovekie belongs to the family Alcidae (order Charadriiformes). It is about 20 centimetres (8 inches) long, with a short bill. Its legs and wings are short, and its feet are webbed. It is a proficient diver, feeding on fish, mollusks, and crustaceans. Dovekies breed on rocky coasts and islands of the Arctic Ocean, from Greenland to Novaya Zemlya, Russia. They nest in large colonies, each breeding pair laying a single egg in a rock cranny on a hillside, or, on peaty ground, in a burrow.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Dovekie — Dove kie, n. (Zo[ o]l.) A guillemot ({Uria grylle}), of the arctic regions. Also applied to the little auk or sea dove. See under {Dove}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • dovekie — or dovekey [duv′kē΄] n. [ DOVE1 + kie, key, dim. suffix] a small auk (Alle alle) of the Arctic and N Atlantic coasts …   English World dictionary

  • dovekie — Rotche Rotche, n. (Zo[ o]l.) A very small arctic sea bird ({Mergulus alle}, or {Alle alle}) common on both coasts of the Atlantic in winter; called also {little auk}, {dovekie}, {rotch}, {rotchie}, and {sea dove}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • dovekie — mažosios alkos statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Alle angl. dovekie; little auk vok. Krabbentaucher, m rus. люрик, m pranc. mergule nain, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – alkiniai siauresnis terminas – mažoji alka …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • dovekie — mažoji alka statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Alle alle angl. dovekie vok. Krabbentaucher, m rus. люрик, m pranc. mergule nain, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – mažosios alkos …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • dovekie — noun Etymology: diminutive of dove Date: 1821 a small short billed auk (Alle alle) breeding on arctic coasts and ranging south in winter …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • dovekie — noun A small back and white seabird, of the genus Alle, of the north Atlantic; the little auk …   Wiktionary

  • dovekie — n. small sea bird of the auk family; (British) black guillemot …   English contemporary dictionary

  • dovekie — [ dʌvki] noun chiefly N. Amer. another term for little auk. Origin C19: from a Scots dimin. of dove1 …   English new terms dictionary

  • dovekie — dove·kie …   English syllables

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