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auk

   Also found in: Medical, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.02 sec.
auk  (ôk)
n.
Any of several diving sea birds (family Alcidae) of northern regions, such as the razor-billed auk, having a chunky body, short wings, and webbed feet.

[Norwegian alk, from Old Norse lka.]

auk [ɔːk]
n
1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) any of various diving birds of the family Alcidae of northern oceans having a heavy body, short tail, narrow wings, and a black-and-white plumage: order Charadriiformes See also great auk, razorbill
(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals)
little auk Also called dovekie a small short-billed auk, Plautus alle, abundant in Arctic regions
[from Old Norse ālka; related to Swedish alka, Danish alke]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.auk - black-and-white short-necked web-footed diving bird of northern seasauk - black-and-white short-necked web-footed diving bird of northern seas
sea bird, seabird, seafowl - a bird that frequents coastal waters and the open ocean: gulls; pelicans; gannets; cormorants; albatrosses; petrels; etc.
Alcidae, family Alcidae - web-footed diving seabirds of northern seas: auks; puffins; guillemots; murres; etc.
auklet - any of several small auks of the northern Pacific coasts
Alca torda, razor-billed auk, razorbill - black-and-white northern Atlantic auk having a compressed sharp-edged bill
dovekie, little auk, Plautus alle - small short-billed auk abundant in Arctic regions
great auk, Pinguinus impennis - large flightless auk of rocky islands off northern Atlantic coasts; extinct
guillemot - small black or brown speckled auks of northern seas
Translations
auk [ɔːk] Nalca f
little aukmérgulo m marino
auk
n (Zool) → Alk m


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Petrels are the most aerial and oceanic of birds, yet in the quiet Sounds of Tierra del Fuego, the Puffinuria berardi, in its general habits, in its astonishing power of diving, its manner of swimming, and of flying when unwillingly it takes flight, would be mistaken by any one for an auk or grebe; nevertheless, it is essentially a petrel, but with many parts of its organisation profoundly modified.
It would undoubtedly be mistaken for an auk, when seen from a distance, either on the wing, or when diving and quietly swimming about the retired channels of Tierra del Fuego.
 
 
 
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