guillemot

guillemot
/gil"euh mot'/, n.
1. a black or brown-speckled seabird of the genus Cepphus, of northern seas, having a sharply pointed black bill, red legs, and white wing patches, as C. grylle (black guillemot), of the North Atlantic and the similar C. columba (pigeon guillemot) of the North Pacific.
2. Brit. a murre of the genus Uria.
[1670-80; < F, appar. dim. of Guillaume William]

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Any of three species of black-and-white seabirds (genus Cepphus, family Alcidae).

Guillemots have a pointed, black bill and red legs. Guillemots are deep divers that feed at the bottom. The best-known species, the black guillemot, breeds around the Arctic Circle and winters south to the British Isles, Maine, and the Bering Strait; it is about 14 in. (35 cm) long. The similar pigeon guillemot breeds along both coasts of the North Pacific, south to Japan and southern California; the spectacled guillemot breeds from Japan to the Kuril Islands. In British usage, the name also refers to birds called murres in the U.S.

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bird
 any of three species of black and white seabirds of the genus Cepphus, in the auk family, Alcidae. The birds have a pointed, black bill and red legs. In British usage, the name guillemot also refers to birds that in America are called murres. Guillemots are deep divers that feed on the bottom. The best known of the three species is the black guillemot, or tystie (C. grylle; see photograph—>). It is about 35 cm (14 inches) long and is coloured black with white wing patches in the breeding season. In winter it is fully white below and speckled brown and white above. The black guillemot breeds around the Arctic Circle and winters south to the British Isles, Maine, U.S., and the Bering Strait, usually remaining within sight of land and never forming large flocks. The similar pigeon guillemot (C. columba) breeds along both coasts of the North Pacific, south to Japan and southern California, U.S. The spectacled guillemot (C. carbo) breeds from Japan to the Kuril Islands. The two spotted eggs of guillemots are laid in a crevice, where the young remain for six weeks until they can fly.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • guillemot — [ gijmo ] n. m. • 1555; dimin. de Guillaume, surnom de cet oiseau ♦ Oiseau palmipède (charadriiformes) voisin du pingouin, habitant les régions arctiques. Guillemot à miroir. ● guillemot nom masculin (diminutif de Guillaume) Oiseau des mers… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Guillemot — is the common name for several species of seabird in the auk family, comprising two genera: Uria and Cepphus . This word of French origin apparently derives from a form of the name William, cf. the cy. Gwillim or the fr. Guillaume. [ Guillemot, n …   Wikipedia

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  • guillemot — 1. (ghi lle mo, ll mouillées) s. m. Nom vulgaire d un genre d oiseaux palmipèdes plongeurs (genre larus).    Petit guillemot, nom sous lequel Buffon a décrit le cephus alle, palmipèdes, qui était l alque alle de Linné (voy. colombe). guillemot 2 …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • Guillemot — Guil le*mot , n. [F.] (Zo[ o]l.) One of several northern sea birds, allied to the auks. They have short legs, placed far back, and are expert divers and swimmers. [1913 Webster] Note: The common guillemots, or murres, belong to the genus {Uria}… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Guillemot — Diminutif de Guillaume (voir Guillem), surtout porté dans le Morbihan. Doubles diminutifs : Guillemoto, Guillemotto (56), Guillemotheau (79). Matronyme : Guillemotte (56) …   Noms de famille

  • guillemot — the name of a bird, is pronounced gil i mot …   Modern English usage

  • guillemot — Guillemot, Jeune pluvier qui n a encore mué …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • guillemot — ► NOUN ▪ an auk with a narrow pointed bill, typically nesting on cliff ledges. ORIGIN French, from Guillaume William …   English terms dictionary

  • guillemot — [gil′ə mät΄] n. [Fr, dim. of Guillaume, William: see ROBIN] any of various narrow billed, northern alcidine shorebirds (genera Uria and Cepphus) …   English World dictionary

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