# Razorbill (*Alca torda*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/razorbill  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

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. 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.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 700 g – 734 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 66.1 cm |
| Lifespan | 18 years – 42 years |
| Diet | Aquatic predator |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | marine |
| Egg incubation | 35.6 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 3.99 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Lifestyle | Aquatic |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Charadriiformes
- family: Alcidae
- genus: Alca
- species: *Alca torda* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Alca balthica*, *Alca balthica*, *Alca clupea*, *Alca torda britannica*, *Alca unisulcata*, *Utamania torda*

## Common questions

### 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

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), 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](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), 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](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Razorbill (Alca torda). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/razorbill