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Razorbill

Alca torda


Where is it found?

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Coastlines

Diet and foraging method

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Swims on the surface of the sea before diving deep in pursuit of its prey. Razorbills can consume several fish in a single dive.
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Key adaptations

As implied by its name, the Razorbills beak is very sharp which is useful for fighting off predators and gripping slippery fish.

Social organisation and mating system

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Live in large, mixed seabird colonies during the breeding season. Often having Guillemots, Kittiwakes, Shags and Puffins as neighbours.
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Most individuals form monogamous breeding pairs, however, some females seek extra pair copulations. 

Did you know that...?

A female Razorbill was ringed in 1962 and resighted in 2000, 38 years later.

Razorbills can dive up to 120m down into the murky ocean depths when pursuing prey.

Taxonomy

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Picture credits:

Maps from: http://species.mol.org/species/
"Alca torda (Marek Szczepanek)" by Marek Szczepanek - Own work. Licenced under GFDL via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alca_torda_(Marek_Szczepanek).jpg#/media/File:Alca_torda_(Marek_Szczepanek).jpg
"Alce torda 3 (Martin Mecnarowski)" by Martin Mecnarowski (http://www.photomecan.eu/) - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alce_torda_3_(Martin_Mecnarowski).jpg#/media/File:Alce_torda_3_(Martin_Mecnarowski).jpg
"Flickr - Rainbirder - Razorbill" by Steve Garvie from Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland - Razorbill. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flickr_-_Rainbirder_-_Razorbill.jpg#/media/File:Flickr_-_Rainbirder_-_Razorbill.jpg
"Alca torda MHNT Île Rouzic" by Didier Descouens - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alca_torda_MHNT_%C3%8Ele_Rouzic.jpg#/media/File:Alca_torda_MHNT_%C3%8Ele_Rouzic.jpg
"Alca torda Alle allePL" by Johann Friedrich Naumann (digitized by Peter v. Sengbusch) - http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/birds/1613_14.htm. Licenced under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alca_torda_Alle_allePL.jpg#/media/File:Alca_torda_Alle_allePL.jpg

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