Razorbill

Razorbills in the Bay of Fundy

Razorbills at a Nesting Colony

The Razorbill (Alca torda) shares the Alcidae family with murres, guillemots, dovekies, murrelets, auklets and puffins.  Murrelets and auklets live only on the west coast but we have murres, guillemots, dovekies and puffins here.  All are pelagic species.

Razorbills are similar to murres in size and appearance.  They are black on the head, throat, back and tail and white below in breeding plumage.  In non-breeding plumage they show white behind the eye but not as much as the murre.  Their bill is distinctive; large, deep, flattened laterally with a white vertical line.  This can often be seen at a distance and helps identify the species.  Both genders look alike.  

 The Razorbill is 43 cm (17 in) long.  It has a bulky head and swims with its head and tail up, making the silhouette distinctive.  This bulky shape also is distinctive in flight.  It is common in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, around Newfoundland and Labrador and in the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine where it breeds in summer.  It nests in rocky crevices and cliff edges on coastal islands.  The nest is built of pebbles and grass placed directly on the rocky ledge.  One or two tan or white eggs marked with black or brown are incubated for 35 to 37 days by both the male and female.  

Razorbills

It is common to see Razorbills from the Grand Manan ferry or from boats sailing off Grand Manan.  We saw many from a recent birding trip out of Seal Cove, as seen in the photo above.  Razorbills winter on the Grand Banks and in the Gulf of Maine south to Long Island.  There is also a population living in waters off northern Europe.

Razorbills eat fish, crustaceans, and marine worms.  They catch their prey by swimming below the surface using their wings for propulsion.  According to studies, Razorbills, guillemots and puffins do not compete with each other for food.  Each species catches different sizes of fish. Razorbill chicks cannot fly when they fledge.  For this reason their breeding colonies must have immediate access to the sea so the chicks can just slide into the ocean or jump a short distance.  The Razorbill is very vocal at the breeding colony uttering a deep croak, 'urrr' or 'arrc' sound.  Razorbills stand upright on land much like a penguin.

So far the Razorbill population is stable.  They are managing to find enough food resources to feed their young and stay healthy.