auk
Puffin's diving kin
An auk is a seabird of the family Alcidae, found in northern oceans and characterized by black and white plumage, short wings, and an upright posture on land.
Auks include puffins, murres, and razorbills, and are well adapted for swimming and diving but awkward fliers.
The great auk, now extinct, was a flightless species hunted to extinction in the mid-19th century.
We spotted several auks nesting on the rocky cliffs.
Stocky auk, bright beak
- guillemotAuk of northern coasts
- razorbillNorth Atlantic auk species
- murreDiving auk species
- dovekieSmall Arctic auk
auklet · genus · species · ornithology · ornithologist · avian · seabird
Earth's northernmost zone
- subarcticZone south of Arctic
- North AtlanticOcean basin, northwestern
- North PacificUpper half of largest ocean
- pelagicOf the open sea
coastal · cliff · rocky shore · island · offshore · cold-water · boreal
Dependent territorial settlement
- burrowAnimal's dug dwelling
- ledgeProjecting horizontal surface
- rookeryCommunal bird nesting site
- eggReproductive cell in shell
fledgling · breeding · chick · nesting · monogamous · incubation
Bird's complete feather coat
- feathersBird's lightweight covering
- beakHorny avian mouthpart
- wingLimb enabling flight
- webbed feetSkin-connected toes for swimming
waterproof · streamlined · countershading · black-and-white · upright posture
Vanished flightless bird
- overhuntingExcessive wildlife killing
- flightlessIncapable of aerial travel
- vanishedDisappeared from sight
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species
endangered · conservation · specimen · museum
puffin
Stocky auk, bright beak
dovekie · auklet · genus · species · ornithology · ornithologist · avian · seabird
Arctic
Earth's northernmost zone
- subarcticZone south of Arctic
- North AtlanticOcean basin, northwestern
- North PacificUpper half of largest ocean
pelagic · coastal · cliff · rocky shore · island · offshore · cold-water · boreal
colony
Dependent territorial settlement
egg · fledgling · breeding · chick · nesting · monogamous · incubation
plumage
Bird's complete feather coat
webbed feet · waterproof · streamlined · countershading · black-and-white · upright posture
dodo
Vanished flightless bird
- overhuntingExcessive wildlife killing
- flightlessIncapable of aerial travel
- vanishedDisappeared from sight
extinction · endangered · conservation · specimen · museum
plunge
Sudden steep descent
- submergePlunge beneath liquid
- fish-eatingConsuming aquatic vertebrates
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
- fish-eatersosprey, kingfisher, pelican, heron, cormorant
- seabirdspenguin, penguins, pelican, pelicans, seagull
- waterbirdsducks, geese, bittern, swans, booby
- Arctic animalsarctic fox, arctic tern, polar bear, musk ox, caribou
- long-billed birdspelican, brown pelican, white pelican, ibis, spoonbill
- shorebirdssandpiper, sandpipers, plover, plovers, curlew