razor-billed auk

razor-billed auk
/ray"zeuhr bild'/
a black and white auk, Alca torda, of the American and European coasts of the northern North Atlantic, having a compressed black bill encircled by a white band. Also called razorbill. See illus. under auk.
[1815-25]

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▪ bird
also called  razorbill 
 black and white seabird of the North Atlantic, bearing a sharp, heavy, compressed beak. About 40 cm (16 inches) long, it is the largest living member of the auk family, Alcidae (order Charadriiformes), and the nearest kin to the extinct great auk. Razor-billed auks are deep divers, feeding on fish (including shellfish). They breed along North Atlantic coasts; some migrate as far south as the Mediterranean Sea.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • razor-billed auk — ra′zor billed auk′ n. orn a black and white auk, Alca torda, of the N Atlantic, having a compressed black bill encircled by a white band. Also called ra′zor•bill • Etymology: 1815–25 …   From formal English to slang

  • razor-billed auk — noun black and white northern Atlantic auk having a compressed sharp edged bill • Syn: ↑razorbill, ↑Alca torda • Hypernyms: ↑auk • Member Holonyms: ↑Alca, ↑genus Alca * * * noun …   Useful english dictionary

  • razor-billed auk — noun see razorbill …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Auk — Auk, n. [Prov. E. alk; akin to Dan. alke, Icel. & Sw. alka.] (Zo[ o]l.) A name given to various species of arctic sea birds of the family {Alcid[ae]}. The great auk, now extinct, is {Alca impennis} (or {Plautus impennis}) . The razor billed auk… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • auk — /awk/, n. any of several usually black and white diving birds of the family Alcidae, of northern seas, having webbed feet and small wings. Cf. great auk, razor billed auk. [1665 75; < Scand; cf. ON alka] * * * In general, any of 22 species of… …   Universalium

  • auk — /ɔk/ (say awk) noun 1. any of certain short winged, three toed, pelagic diving birds of the subfamily Alcidae, family Loriidae, of northern seas, as the razor billed auk, Alca torda, and the little auk, Alle alle. 2. → great auk. {Scandinavian;… …  

  • razor-billedauk — ra·zor billed auk (rāʹzər bĭld ) n. A sea bird (Alca torda) of the northern Atlantic, having black and white plumage and a white ringed, flattened bill. * * * …   Universalium

  • razor-bill — n. Black billed auk (Alca torda) …   New dictionary of synonyms

  • great auk — a large, flightless auk, Pinguinus impennis, of rocky islands off North Atlantic coasts: extinct since 1844. [1820 30] * * * Flightless seabird (Pinguinus impennis) extinct since 1844. Great auks bred in colonies on rocky islands off North… …   Universalium

  • Alca impennis — Auk Auk, n. [Prov. E. alk; akin to Dan. alke, Icel. & Sw. alka.] (Zo[ o]l.) A name given to various species of arctic sea birds of the family {Alcid[ae]}. The great auk, now extinct, is {Alca impennis} (or {Plautus impennis}) . The razor billed… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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