Alca torda
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The razorbill (Alca torda) is a North Atlantic colonial seabird and the only extant member of the genus Alca of the family Alcidae, the auks. It is the closest living relative of the extinct great auk (Pinguinus impennis). Historically, it has also been known as "auk", "razor-billed auk" and "lesser auk".
Razorbills are primarily black with a white underside. The male and female are identical in plumage; however, males are generally larger than females. This agile bird, which is capable of both flight and diving, has a predominantly aquatic lifestyle and only comes to land in order to breed. It is monogamous, choosing one partner for life. Females lay one egg per year. Razorbills nest along coastal cliffs in enclosed or slightly exposed crevices. The parents spend equal amounts of time incubating, and once the chick has hatched, they take turns foraging for their young.
Presently, this species faces major threats, including the destruction of breeding sites, oil spills, and deterioration of food quality. As a result, razorbills have on occasion been seen outside of their normal range as they search for alternative food sources. The IUCN records the population of the species as fluctuating. It decreased from 2015 to 2021, and appears to be increasing or stable at the present. It is estimated that the current global razorbill population lies between 838,000 and 1,600,000 mature individuals. In 1918, the razorbill was protected in the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vatnajokull National Park | 🇮🇸 Iceland | |
| 2 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Svalbard | 🇳🇴 Norway | |
| 8 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dublin | 🇮🇪 Ireland | |
| 2 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Rotterdam [The Hague] | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 4 | Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Porto | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 8 | Lisbon | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 9 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Copenhagen Zoo | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 2 | Lisbon Oceanarium | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 3 | Odense Zoo | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 4 | L'Oceanogràfic | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | National Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Montreal Biodome | 🇨🇦 Canada |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Razorbill sighting in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, based on 315 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 139th most-seen of the 285 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Razorbill in Wadden Sea National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December to September, the lowest months. Those are among Wadden Sea National Park's wettest months, with about 130 mm of rain a month against 45 mm in April.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Razorbill sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Razorbill sightings, Wadden Sea National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Vatnajokull National Park (Iceland, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Razorbill is recorded against all the birds logged in Wadden Sea National Park (315 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
