The razorbill is a short winged diving bird that is awkward on land and in the air. It is more at home bobbing on the sea or diving beneath the surface to catch fish with its hooked bill. The razorbill is one of the largest auks, a stocky relative of the puffin and the guillemot. Although barely able to fly and clumsy on land, it is an excellent swimmer and diver, and it uses its short wings to glide gracefully underwater.

Habits: Totally dependent upon the sea for food, the razorbill spends much of the year far from land, bobbing on the ocean swells and diving for fish. It returns to the shore in spring only to lay eggs and rear its chicks. Once the young are independent they and their parents return to the sea. Like other auks, the razor bill is adapted to life in the water. Auks are considered the Northern Hemispheres equivalent of penguins (which are found only in the Southern Hemisphere). 

The razor bill is most like the penguin of all the auks. While it is an expert diver and swimmer, it is clumsy on land and has an awkward, waddling, upright gait. This is because its feet are not well adapted for walking, but rather are set back on its body to act as rudders while it flies and when it swims underwater. The birds must have all their plumage to support them in flight.

Food and Hunting: In autumn and winter the razor bill feeds on small fish from the surface waters of the Atlantic. In spring and summer it feeds in shallow water near its coastal nesting sites and often eats worms and mollusks as well as sand eels. The razor bill floats on the surface of the water like a duck, upending to feed. It dives to depths of 20 feet or more and sometimes stays submerged for nearly a minute. It catches fish in its sharp, hooked bill and swallows them underwater. If it is feeding its young it surfaces, holding several fish in its bill, and flies back to the nesting ledge. At these times the razor bill is vulnerable to attack, particularly by seagulls that steal its catch. In turn, the razor bill also steals food from other auks. 

Breeding: Razor bills breed in large colonies, each pair occupying a crevice on a cliff or rocky shore. They form stable pairs that nest on the same sites each spring and part when the colony scatters in autumn. In late winter each pair broods a single egg, laid directly on the bare rock. Both parents feed the chick. After about 18 days the chick is only one fourth grown and still unable to fly. It leaves the ledge at night and goes down to the sea, followed closely by the adult male, who continues to feed and care for it for several weeks until the young can hunt for itself.

Special Adaptations: The razorbill’s short wings are a compromise for both flying and swimming. The large wings of many soaring birds are too bulky for use underwater. Conversely, the flipper like wings of penguins are too small for flight. Although the short wings of the razor bill work well underwater, they are just big enough to support it in the air. The loss of even a single wing feather makes flying difficult. A razor bill does not molt and replace its flight feathers one by one, like most birds. Instead, it molts them all at once after breeding season, and is flightless for some 45 days.

Key Facts:
Sizes:
Length: 1 ft.
Wingspan: About 2 ft.
Weight: 1-2 lb.

Breeding:
Sexual maturity: 3-5 years
Breeding season: Return to the breeding colony in February; eggs laid in May
No. of eggs: 1
Incubation period: 35 days
Fledging period: 10-18 days, followed by several weeks on the water under parental care

Lifestyle:
Habit: Feeds alone or in small groups during autumn and winter. Gathers in breeding colonies in spring and summer

Related Species: Razor bills belong to the auk family, which includes the Atlantic puffin, common guillemot, and little auk.
Distribution: North Atlantic and Arctic oceans, feeding at sea and breeding on rocky coasts. 
Conservation: Razor bills are vulnerable to oil pollution; over fishing of its food has also contributed to its decline. Because of its low reproductive rate, a razor bill population takes many years to recover from a setback.

Features of the Razor bill:
Diving: The razor bill is well adapted to life on and under the water. It dives to depths of 20 feet or more and can stay submerged for nearly a minute.
Diet: Razor bills eat sand eels, worms, and mollusks.
Egg: A single egg is laid on the breeding ledge.
Winter plumage: Throat and upper chest turn white.

Did You Know: 
Razor bills have difficulty diving for fish in rough, choppy seas. During stormy weather many birds, weakened by hunger, are beaten to death by ocean waves.
Razor bill eggs vary widely in color. They may be brown, cream, white, or turquoise, with brown or black blotches. This variation may help parents recognize their own eggs.
The razor bill is the closest living relative of the extinct great auk, a large, flightless bird once common on North Atlantic islands.
Razor bill breeding colonies can be huge: a colony off the coast of England was estimated at about 45,000 pairs of birds.

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