Razorbill

“ It also goes some distance from land, where, should a gale overtake it, great numbers often perish, as their dead bodies washed up on the coast sadly testify. The food of the Razorbill is largely composed of fry, especially of the herring, but many other small fishes are captured, together with crustaceans and other small marine creatures. The bird, so far as my experience extends, never seeks its food upon the shore, and obtains most, if not all, of it by diving. The Razorbill is a remarkably silent bird ”

“ All these birds have been obtained by Mr. Micallef, principally during the spring and autumn migrations. He pointed out to me several immature specimens of the Razorbill; adding that in one winter he secured thirty-four of these birds, all being young birds of the year.
At home I have had occasion to note and comment upon the irregular visits of the Razorbill, particularly along the shores of the Solway, where in some winters immature birds are extremely abundant, adult specimens being rarely found among them; while other winters pass without the appearance of a single specimen. ”

“ Should fish be plentiful the birds are diving and rising again incessantly, the time of absence depending upon the depth descended or the length of the chase. The Razorbill ever seems to use its wings with reluctance on these occasions, always keeping out of harm’s way by diving or swimming. It is capable of rapid flight though, and may often be seen in strings or skeins, hastening along just above the waves to or from a favourite fishing place. The Razorbill is gregarious enough during summer, but in winter it is most frequently seen in small parties, or often alone. ”

“ Otherwise the appearance of all these birds may be briefly described in the same words—head, breast and upper parts generally of a deep glossy black, and the lower parts and tip of the secondaries of a pure white, while the various changes of plumage dependent on age or season are alike in all. In habits the razorbill agrees closely with the true guillemots, laying its single egg (which is not, however, subject to the same variety of coloration as in the guillemot) on the ledges of cliffs, but it is said as a rule to occupy higher elevations, and when not breeding to keep farther out to sea. ”

“ January 15th, 1886, the young Razorbill is as plentiful here now as I ever saw them at the Tearaght.
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Dungarvan.—May 13th, great number all day.
Arranmore.—Feb. 10th, Razorbills seen 5 wind strong, S.W.
Blackrock, Mayo.—May 2d, flock around rock. 11th, alighted on rock.
Tearaght.—March 12th, first came on cliffs, young birds leaving about July 13th, old and young all gone August 20th. They were about as plentiful as on other years. They were observed taking the young on their backs in the same way as last year by Mrs M'Carron. The young birds leave in the evenings and at night. ”

“ I think that the broad, blade-like bill of the puffin has to do with this power that the bird possesses of holding many fish at a time, and that the razorbill, whose beak is of the same type, and who bites the fish across in just the same way, is in the habit of doing so also. Be this as it may, the guillemot, whose bill is quite differently shaped, holds the fish, as a rule, in a different manner, longitudinally, namely, with the head towards the throat, and the tail drooping over to one side. This is not invariable; but I have never myself seen a bird bring in more than one fish at a time. ”

“ Sept. 16th, two old and two young appeared, swimming S. Dec. 7th, young Razorbills; wind W.; very strong, high sea. As many as two or three hundred may be seen almost every day, especially in stormy weather. Having procured a specimen of the bird I called a "Mackerel-cock" (see fifth Report, pp. 89 and 128) , I find it is the young Razorbill. [Specimen sent.—R. M. B.; shot, 13th, Jan., 1885.] It comes here every winter, and not a single old bird is to be found amongst them; nor one of them among the old birds in summer.
Skelligs.—March 20th, Razorbills first seen on rock. ”

“ Its life is mostly passed in the water, where it sits high and floats buoyantly like a duck. It feeds chiefly on small fishes, for which it dives, and when pursuing them uses the wings as well as feet in propulsion. On the sea the razorbills [347] are usually seen in small flocks; they fly like diving ducks, with rapidly-beating wings, in a line, one bird behind the other, and so close as to be almost touching. In March they resort to the bold headlands and precipitous rocky cliffs which are their breeding-places. ”

“ Discussion Impact of Human Activity Direct Exploitation
According to Norwegian laws, all seabirds, with the exception (for some odd reason) of the gannet and fulmar, can be hunted from 21 August to 1 March. However, only the two species of murre and the razorbill are still regularly hunted and, although no statistics support it, an estimate based on interviews with some of the hunters reveals that murres and razorbills are shot in the ratio of about 50:1. One man can shoot as many as 380 murres and razorbills during a winter season as a sideline to fishing. ”

“ French, "Pingouin macroptere."—The Razorbill is not by any means numerous in the Channel Islands, but a few breed about Ortack, and, as has been said before, in Alderney, but nowhere else; and they are by no means so numerous as the Guillemot. It is resident throughout the year, though perhaps more common in the autumn than at any other time. Mr. Harvey Brown, [30] however, mentions seeing a small flock swim by with the tide, at the north-end of Herm, in January. Mr. MacCulloch writes me word he has a note of a Razorbill Auk shot in Guernsey on the 14th February, 1847 ”

“ In summer the adult has the upper parts, chin, and throat dark brown, and the rest of the body white. The black bill is long, pointed, and sharp, and not flattened as in the Razorbill. At the autumnal moult the brown on the chin, throat, and back of the head is replaced by white, and in this and the other allied species all the flight feathers are moulted at the same time. ”

“ For these birds, in common with guillemots, very frequently breed on the narrow ledges of cliffs, where it is obvious that an upright posture affords them greater facilities for movement and at the same time economises space. In accordance with this habit, razorbills, in common with other members of the auk tribe, lay pear-shaped eggs, which cannot well roll off the bare ledges of rock on which they are often laid. As a rule, each female deposits only one, relatively large, egg; while no female incubates more than a pair of these eggs at the same time. ”

“ The puffins found on the east coasts of England and Scotland during the winter months are probably migrants from more northern latitudes. Puffins are found in summer in most localities on our coasts where razorbills and guillemots collect; on the south coast they are rare, but increase as we go north, until at St. Kilda they are found gathered in incalculable numbers. As a cliff-breeder the puffin deposits its egg in a hole or cranny in the rocks like the razorbill, but never on an exposed ledge, as the guillemot always, and the razorbill sometimes, does. ”

“ Rathlin Island.—April 6th, flocks resting on the sea. Aug. 22nd, Razorbills leaving island.
Blackrock, Mayo.—April 30th, Razorbills all day; wind fresh, W.
Clare Island.—March 21st, about fifty "Razorbill-puffins"; 25th, Puffins (Razorbills?) in large numbers.
Tearaght.—March 23rd, Razorbills arrived. May 7th, came on island as plentiful as in previous years. About this date (July 31st) both old and young are mostly gone. During the past fortnight both old and young could be heard on the water at night. A few evenings ago I observed a young bird crying on the water ”

“ But, if this is necessary in the case of Guillemots' eggs, how do Terns and Gulls, which nest together in such dense numbers, dispense with a similar provision? Most of the eggs of any one species are very much alike, and are so difficult to see that the greatest care must be taken by anyone visiting their nesting stations in order to avoid treading on them.
The Razorbill also lays its eggs on precipitous rocks, but they are placed under cover. Though the markings vary to some extent, the ground colour is generally white, sometimes brown. ”

“ The eggs are laid about 15th June, and the first I observed hatched was on 10th August. They vomit a half-digested white matter as well as the oil; perhaps it is this they feed the young with.
Valentia.—May 8th, one caught at night. October 2d, one captured in yard. September 20th, one seen.
Skelligs.—April 21st, first appearance on rock in holes. May 13th, numbers about lantern at 10 P.M. June 15th, first egg seen to-day. A fortnight later than last year.
Razorbill.
Mine Head.—October 4th, young Razorbill diving, and on December 12th, 23d, and 27th, flocks flying towards S.W. ”

“ The young and old birds generally leave the breeding-places for good during the last ten days of August in both of these localities. The eggs of the Guillemot are the easiest to obtain, being laid upon the ledges and in the numberless little hollows about the cliffs; the Razorbill deposits its big solitary egg in a crevice where in not a few cases it is absolutely safe from man; the Puffins, breeding nearer to the top of the cliffs, lay their single egg in burrows. ”

“ Tearaght.—July 30th. "The following birds are still on the island, viz., Guillemots, Sea Parrots, Kittiwakes, Grey Crows, Sea-pies, Razorbills, Manx Shearwater, Stonechats, and, I think. Choughs and Falcons (Blue Hawks) . All these breed on the island. Dec. 18th, birds remaining: Grey Linnets, Rock Pigeon, Thrushes, Mackerel Cock (on water) . Blackbirds. Residents, Titlarks and Common Wren. The 'Mackerel Cock' is about the size of a Razorbill, but it is not the Razorbill. Thousands of them are round the rock now. ”

“ These rock-fowl, unlike the gulls and terns, are more easily tamed, and in a sense domesticated, than any other bird except the parrot. But unlike the parrots, they have so little fear of man in a wild state, that is when quite young, but able to fish for themselves at sea, that two or three days in human company are enough to attach them firmly to their new acquaintances. The tameness of the full-grown young razorbills when engaged in fishing in the narrow waters of the lochs on the west coast of Scotland has been more than once mentioned to the writer ”

“ The cliff-breeding species—Guillemots, Razorbills, and Puffins—are difficult to investigate because individuals vary so little, and the sexes resemble one another so closely; yet, despite these difficulties, we can gain some idea of the general purport of their activities. But when the ledges are crowded and the air is filled with countless multitudes, how is it possible to keep a single bird in view for a sufficient length of time to understand its routine? ”

“ Patterson. It is probable that the adult birds, being stronger than young ones, are less at the mercy of the waves, and keep further out to sea; but the Little Auks which visit our coast always seem to be adult, or nearly so, and the sea does not spare them. Among many scores I have never yet handled one young enough to have a beak smaller than the normal size, which seems singular, as young Razorbills are not uncommon. ”

“ Alcidæ.—Razorbills and Guillemots, and Puffins: February 15th, several "Marrots" first seen, forenoon; strong S., clear; at N. Unst. February 3rd, large numbers of Razorbills and Guillemots arrived at Isle of May; seven killed at a shot. February 7th, large numbers of Razorbills and Guillemots arrived at Isle of May; light W., clear. February 20th, large numbers of Razorbills and Guillemots arrived at Isle of May. February 24th, Puffins innumerable at N. Unst; first seen; light S., clear. February 24th, Guillemots in flocks flying S.E., at Sumburgh Head ”

“ Skelligs.—September 22d, several at lantern from 10 P.M. to 2 A.M.; two young ones killed striking; wind light S.E., hazy. October 9th, one young bird killed striking, 8 P.M.; 15th, several at lantern, 7 to 11 P.M.; one killed striking (young bird) ; wind light N.E., gloomy.
Razorbill and Guillemot
(Alca torda, Linn.; and Uria troile, Linn.) .
Fastnet.—January 20th to 28th, large numbers feeding about rock. May 1st, seven. November 10th, "several puffins (?) , razorbills, and guillemots" all day about rock; wind light S.E.
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Old Head, Kinsale.—May 20th, flocks of "loots" [loons?] ”

“ Razorbill, Apparent habit of constantly drinking sea-water, of, 62
— Bright colouring of buccal cavity, of, 127; suggested explanation of, 129–31
— Nuptial note and actions of, 127
Red-throated Diver, A ripple in shape of bird, 59
— Resembles both a grebe and a guillemot, 59
— Neck of, very beautiful, 59, 60
— Dives like a grebe, 60, 61
— Apparent habit of continually drinking, of, 61
Right does not exist apart from might, 348, 349
Rock Pipit, Arctic skua baffled by a, 10, 160 ”

“ Between Penmon Point and Redwharf Bay the limestone cliffs rise to a considerable height, affording nesting ledges, in places, for many rock-haunting birds. At one spot there was a small colony of Guillemots and Razorbills, the species being in almost equal numbers; in another place a few Razorbills were breeding in horizontal fissures, but we failed to detect any Guillemots there. The Herring-Gull was the dominant Gull in this district; mature and immature birds were common in the Straits, where the only other member of the family that we observed was the Black-headed Gull. ”