Razorbill eggs

1 Jan 2022

These are the eggs of the razorbill Alca torda, members of the Auk family and closely related to the puffin. 

Razorbills overwinter at sea and return to breeding colonies in March and April leaving by August. The razorbills nest on bare rock faces and crevices on cliffs, generally in mixed colonies with guillemots. Razorbills lay a clutch with a single egg, and these striking eggs show individual variation in the patterning, presumably to facilitate recognition of the egg as the adults return to the crowded cliffs. Both males and females incubate the eggs for up to 39 days, and chicks fledge after 14 - 24 days.