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Razorbill Alca torda   [Linnaeus, 1758]
Other Names Trends & Distribution Breeding & Survival Biometrics Books & Links

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Order: Charadriiformes Family: Alcidae
BTO Codes: RA, RAZOR EURING No: 6360
Number in Britain: 164 thousand individuals (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK: AMBER
European: Not a species of concern
Global: Least Concern ( Details )
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  
Status in UK: (A)  Migrant/Resident Breeder, Winter Visitor
Subspecies: islandica (RBW), torda (S) recorded in Britain (of 2 subsp. in the world)
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Length: 38 cm Wingspan: 66 cm Weight: M/F: 710 g    
Scientific name from: ON: alka=Razorbill and Swedish: tordmule=the razorbill
World Distribution: n&w Europe, nw Russia, ne North America, WINTERS: at sea nr breeding grounds
Habitat: Coastal cliffs, otherwise pelagic
Diet: Fish, some invertebrates
TitBit: The large egg of the Razorbill (equivalent to a human bearing an 18-20 lb baby) shows marked individual variation in its patterning, presumably to aid recognition on the densely populated cliff ledges on which it breeds.  

Population and Distribution

Population Trend: JNCC Seabird Monitoring Programme
Distribution: Atlas Maps    (Local Atlases)   
British Population Size:
    Summer: 164 thousand individuals in 1998-02
    First Record: 1661 [Fossil evidence from
    Latest Survey: Mitchell, P.I. et al. (2004) Seabird populations of Britain and Ireland Poyser, London
    Conservation Status: AMBER because Localised Breeding Population,
   Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 AMBER     1996-2001 AMBER  
   Races of Concern: islandica AMBER (Rare or Localised), torda GREEN
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
    Summer: 430 to 760 thousand pairs
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: Bern(III)
Survey Results: BirdTrack
Seabird 2000 (warning: link to large pdf)

Breeding and Survival
Egg Size: 75 x 48 mm Egg Weight: 90.0 g (of which 10 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records: 59
Clutch Size: 1 eggs
Incubation: 32- 39 days   by the: Male + Female
Fledging: 14 - 24days as: Altricial, downy
First Clutches Laid: Unavailable
Number of Broods: 1
Number Ringed: 2324 (Annual Totals)
Adult Survival: 0.900       
Juvenile Survival: 0.380 (to age 4 )  
Age at First Breeding: 4 years Typical Lifespan: 13 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 41 years 11 months 23 days (set in 2004)
Summary of Ringing Recoveries       

Biometrics
Ring Size: Special
Wing Length Adult: 196.9 ± 6.9 Range 189 - 205 mm, N =285
Juvenile: Insufficient Data
Male: Insufficient Data
Female: Insufficient Data
Weight Adult: 612.6 ± 52.76 Range 525.0 - 705.0 g , N =266
Juvenile: Insufficient Data
Male: Insufficient Data
Female: Insufficient Data
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data

Other Names
 
Gaelic: Coltraiche Welsh: Llurs
Danish: Alk Dutch: Alk
Finnish: Ruokki French: Petit Pingouin
German: Tordalk Hungarian: Alka
Icelandic: Álka Irish: Crosán
Italian: Gazza marina Norwegian: Alke
Polish: Alka zwyczajna Portuguese: Torda-mergulheira
Spanish: Alca Swedish: Tordmule
Local Names:Coulter Neb, Willock

For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
   Gaston, A. 1998 The auks Oxford University Press, Oxford [598.618 GAS]
   Nettleship, D. & Birkhead, T.R. 1985 The atlantic Alcidae Academic Press, London [598.618 NET]
See Also:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Gough, G.A. et al. (1998) Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead