Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun ornithology A
bird of the familyAlcidae , includingauks andpuffins .
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The alcid wing shape, which is small and pointed, is a compromise between features that allow aerial flight and those that are ideal for underwater swimming.
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Some smaller alcid species visit breeding colonies only at night, coming and going under the protective cover of twilight or full darkness.
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As mentioned above, many alcid species are flexible as to the exact species of prey that they consume.
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How an alcid from the Pacific Ocean ended up north Kent, at a nature reserve known as Oare Marshes to be exact, might never be known, but birders, to use a regretfully common description, are "flocking" to see the rarity.
10,000 Birds 2009
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Normally found off eastern Canada and New England, this alcid comes this far south only rarely.
A DC Birding Blog 2008
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Basically, he's declared a big-time tie between, well, four alcid species (
10,000 Birds 2010
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