Specie's Page                                               Razorbill - Medium Divers

Razorbill:

UK Status: Only comes ashore to breed.

Habitat: This bird is primarily a sea faring bird, only coming onto land to breed. It can be seen mainly off shore in the sea outside of the breeding season.

Breeding: Sea cliffs is where to see this bird during the breeding season, nesting on rocky outcrops and ledges. Birds are between three to five tyears of age before they reach breeding maturity. Sometimes older birds will skip the occasional breeding season, breeding birds continue courtship on and off throughout the breeding season. No nest as such is built, occasionally birds will drag material upon which to lay their egg, usually though eggs are just laid upon bare rock. A single large and very pointed egg is laid, in March or April, the egg is pale buff with dark blotches and speckling. There is only the one egg laid each year.

Comment: This bird is very similar looking to the Common Guillemot. Razorbills have deep blunt looking beaks, where as the Guillemot has a longer, thinner, and more pointed beak. Male Razorbills generally are larger in size than the females.

Common Guillemot

Conservation Status: Not Assessed