auk

views updated May 14 2018

auk / ôk/ • n. a short-winged diving seabird found in northern oceans, typically with a black head and black and white underparts. The auk family (Alcidae) comprises the guillemots, murres, razorbills, puffins, and their relatives.

auk

views updated May 17 2018

auk Squat-bodied sea bird of colder Northern Hemisphere coastlines. The flightless great auk (Pinguinus impennis), or the Atlantic penguin, became extinct in the 1840s; height: 76cm (30in). The razorbill auk (Alca torda) is the largest of living species. Family Alcidae.

auk

views updated Jun 11 2018

auk XVII. — ON. álka.

More From encyclopedia.com