alcid
/ˈalsɪd
/noun Ornithology
A bird of the auk family (Alcidae); an auk.Usually you can expect to see great numbers of pelagic birds - gannets, shearwaters, jaegers, storm-petrels, alcids - that live mainly at sea....
- Closely related to the Tufted Puffin, the Rhinoceros Auklet is a large alcid with a wedge-shaped head.
- One would imagine this place to be a paradise of alcids of all types, guillemots, dovekies, puffins, razorbills, murres, and murrelets all splashing around in their black and white finery.
Origin
Late 19th century: from modern Latin Alcidae (plural), from the genus name Alca, from Old Norse álka 'razorbill'; compare with auk.