Razorbill
Alca torda Linnaeus, 1758
The razorbill (Alca torda), also called the Razor-billed auk, is a bird in the family Alcidae and the order Charadriiformes. It is a small bird with an adult body mass of 726 g, with reported values from 700 to 734 g, and a wingspan of 66.1 cm.
Quick facts about the razorbill
The razorbill is a migratory, aquatic carnivore of marine habitats, classed as an aquatic predator, with a geographic range of 1,229,000 km². It lays 1 egg per clutch and 1 clutch per year, with an incubation period of 35.55 days, and is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
- Weight
- 700 g – 734 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 66.1 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 18 years – 42 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- marinesrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 35.6 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 3.99 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Reproduction
- Eggssrc for Reproduction
- Lifestyle
- Aquaticsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the razorbill?
Photos of the razorbill
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the razorbill live?
Not recorded
What is the razorbill?
The razorbill (Alca torda) is a North Atlantic colonial seabird and the only extant member of the genus Alca of the family Alcidae, the auks. It is the closest living relative of the extinct great auk (Pinguinus impennis). Historically, it has also been known as "auk", "razor-billed auk" and "lesser auk".
Razorbills are primarily black with a white underside. The male and female are identical in plumage; however, males are generally larger than females. This agile bird, which is capable of both flight and diving, has a predominantly aquatic lifestyle and only comes to land in order to breed. It is monogamous, choosing one partner for life. Females lay one egg per year. Razorbills nest along coastal cliffs in enclosed or slightly exposed crevices. The parents spend equal amounts of time incubating, and once the chick has hatched, they take turns foraging for their young.
Presently, this species faces major threats, including the destruction of breeding sites, oil spills, and deterioration of food quality. As a result, razorbills have on occasion been seen outside of their normal range as they search for alternative food sources. The IUCN records the population of the species as fluctuating. It decreased from 2015 to 2021, and appears to be increasing or stable at the present. It is estimated that the current global razorbill population lies between 838,000 and 1,600,000 mature individuals. In 1918, the razorbill was protected in the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
From the Wikipedia article “Razorbill” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Razorbill&oldid=1362853442), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the razorbill endangered?
The razorbill is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the razorbill classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderCharadriiformes
- familyAlcidae
- genusAlca
- SpeciesAlca torda Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms Alca balthica, Alca balthica, Alca clupea, Alca torda britannica, Alca unisulcata, Utamania torda
Other names and names in other languages (83)
- Razor-billed aukEnglish
- أبو موسArabic
- منقار الشفرةArabic
- PingüinetAragonese
- AlcaAsturian
- pitorruAsturian
- Дебелоклюна гагаркаBulgarian
- GodBreton
- Godez beg platBreton
- gavotCatalan
- alka maláCzech
- llursWelsh
- gwalch y penwaigWelsh
- LlursodWelsh
- alkDanish
- TordalkGerman
- ToralkGerman
- Tord-AlkGerman
- ΆλκαGreek
- Κοινή ΆλκαGreek
- AŭkoEsperanto
- ordinara aŭkoEsperanto
- Alca comúnSpanish
- Pottorro arruntBasque
- Pottorroa arruntaBasque
- تیغمنقارPersian
- ruokkiFinnish
- Petit PingouinFrench
- pingouin macroptèreFrench
- pingouin tordaFrench
- Grat alkNorthern Frisian
- crosánScottish Gaelic
- coltraicheScottish Gaelic
- coltraicheanScottish Gaelic
- làmhaidhScottish Gaelic
- làmhaidheanScottish Gaelic
- CaroloGalician
- Arao romeiroGalician
- ColtragManx
- אלקהHebrew
- אלקה גדולהHebrew
- אלקה חדת-מקורHebrew
- plosnatokljuna njorkaCroatian
- ԹանձրահավArmenian
- ÁlkaIcelandic
- Gazza marinaItalian
- Gazza PinguinoItalian
- オオハシウミガラスJapanese
- ალკაGeorgian
- ApparlukKalaallisut
- Gelvyn lymCornish
- alkaLithuanian
- lielais alksLatvian
- Mus tal-BaħarMaltese
- DoggerLow German
- alkeNorwegian Nynorsk
- Godînnrm
- GaudePicard
- Alka zwyczajnaPolish
- alka (zwyczajna)Polish
- alka krzywonosaPolish
- الکا ٹورڈاWestern Panjabi
- torda-mergulheiraPortuguese
- Alca micăRomanian
- Couter nebScots
- HálkaNorthern Sami
- HálkkaNorthern Sami
- roahkkiNorthern Sami
- ruohkkiNorthern Sami
- alka vrúbkozobáSlovak
- njorkaSlovenian
- Mala njorkaSerbian
- Оштрокљуна њоркаSerbian
- Oštrokljuna njorkaSerbian
- tordmuleSwedish
- Alka domo-wembeSwahili
- ustura gagaTurkish
- Ustura Gagalı AlkTurkish
- ГагаркаUkrainian
- гагарка малаUkrainian
- GagarkaUzbek
- Chim AlcaVietnamese
- 刀嘴海雀Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the razorbill
Other species in the same genus Alca.
CompareRazorbill vs Alca olsoniRazorbill vs Alca carolinensisRazorbill vs Alca minor
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the razorbill?
The razorbill is a bird in the family Alcidae, order Charadriiformes. It is also called the Razor-billed auk.
How heavy is a razorbill?
An adult Razorbill weighs 726 g, with reported values from 700 to 734 g. Its wingspan is 66.1 cm.
What does the razorbill eat?
The razorbill is a carnivore in the aquatic predator diet category.
Is the razorbill endangered?
No. The razorbill is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does a razorbill live?
The razorbill has a lifespan of 18 years, with values up to 42 years reported by sources.
How many eggs does a razorbill lay?
The razorbill lays 1 egg per clutch and 1 clutch per year. The egg incubation period is 35.55 days.
When does a razorbill reach sexual maturity?
A razorbill reaches sexual maturity at 4 years (1,458 days).
Who named the razorbill?
The razorbill, Alca torda, was named by Linnaeus, 1758.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Razorbill (Alca torda). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/razorbill
“Razorbill (Alca torda).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/razorbill.
@misc{razorbill_2026,
title = {Razorbill (Alca torda)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/razorbill},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}