Species group · Birds
Auks
WAnimals has 2 species of auk, in the family Alcidae.
- 2 species
- 1 family
- 21 countries
- 29 parks
- Weight
- 726 g – 5 kg
- Length
- 37 cm – 85 cm
- Lifespan
- 42 years
Ranges calculated from the profiles that record the figure, not from all 2.
All 2 species of auks on WAnimals
Each one has its own full profile. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.
Conservation status
1 Least Concern1 Extinct
No species documented in this group is genuinely at risk according to the IUCN, with the data available today.
Where they live
Recorded in 21 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:
Where to see them
Did you know…?
It can dive beyond 100 metres, beating its wings underwater much as it does in the air.
From Razorbill
It is the closest living relative of the great auk (Pinguinus impennis), which went extinct in the mid-nineteenth century.
From Razorbill
A flightless northern seabird; the last known pair was killed in Iceland in 1844.
From Great Auk
It was the original penguin: European sailors called it "penguin", and when explorers in the south found similar birds they applied the same name to them, although they were not related at all.
From Great Auk
The last two known individuals were strangled on the Icelandic island of Eldey on 3 June 1844 at the request of a collector, and one of them was incubating an egg that was broken in the struggle.
From Great Auk