Murres, Razorbills, Puffins

(Alcidae)

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A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.

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The Alcidae are the Northern Hemisphere's equivalent of penguins. These birds are pudgy, almost ducklike animals. They are aquatic and spend most of their time at sea fishing for fish, squid, shrimp, and other marine animals. Most of them are excellent swimmers and divers, but are sometimes not particularly graceful on land. They breed on ocean shores, usually on rocky cliffs and ledges. There are 22 species worldwide. Twenty of these species breed in North America, but only six in the eastern half of the continent.

Black Guillemot

Cepphus grylle

Razorbill

Alca torda

Common Murre

Uria aalge

Thick-billed Murre

Uria lomvia

Atlantic Puffin

Fratercula arctica