Razorbill

Look for compact, black-and-white auks riding swells just offshore or diving repeatedly in pursuit of small fish, typically in cold inshore waters, sea cliffs, and rocky coastal edges during the breeding season from April through July. The blunt, deep bill with its distinctive white vertical groove and transverse bar is the key field mark at close range, while the cocked tail and thick-necked silhouette distinguish it in flight from similar species. Dawn and dusk activity tends to be most pronounced around colony sites, where the low, growling calls carry from crevices and ledge gatherings; outside the breeding season, scan rocky headlands and sheltered bays during calm, clear days when surface visibility makes diving birds easy to track.