Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of several auks of the genus Cepphus of the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, having black plumage with white markings.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A bird of the genus Uria of Brisson, or of either of the genera Uria and Lomvia of late authors; a murre.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Zoöl.) One of several northern sea birds, allied to the auks. They have short legs, placed far back, and are expert divers and swimmers.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Any seabird belonging to the genera Uria and Cepphus of the auk family Alcidae. They have black and white bodies and are good at swimming and diving.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun small black or brown speckled auks of northern seas

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, diminutive of the personal name Guillaume.]

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Examples

  • The guillemot is a diving bird found in the Northern seas, while the penguin may be looked upon as representing the divers of the Southern Ocean.

    Little Folks (Septemeber 1884) A Magazine for the Young Various

  • Birds such as the common murre and pigeon guillemot recovered slightly shortly after the Exxon Valdez spill, then saw their numbers plummet the next decade, she says.

    Scientists grapple with BP oil spill's cost to bird life 2011

  • There's a mild climb about half a mile back, guillemot ledge.

    She Closed Her Eyes 2010

  • She was pretty but far too guillemot-like for my taste, with a long neck and a beak nose, as thin as a rake.

    Archive 2009-09-01 David McDuff 2009

  • Pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba) populations began to increase within three to four years following fox removal at Kiska Island and 20-fold increases occurred in guillemot numbers at Niski-Alaid Island within 15 years of fox removal [74].

    Effects of climate change on the biodiversity of the Arctic 2009

  • From time to time I smiled at the Swedish guillemot and looked at the two-year-old girl she held in her arms.

    Archive 2009-09-01 David McDuff 2009

  • Common eiders, thick-billed murre, and black guillemot (Cepphus grylle) are the most commonly harvested seabird species in arctic Canada, and are utilized by indigenous people wherever they are available [33].

    Management and conservation of marine mammals and seabirds in the Arctic 2009

  • The analysis showed that positive population trends occurred at guillemot colonies where SST changes were small, while negative trends occurred where large increases or large decreases in SST occurred.

    Effects of climate change on the biodiversity of the Arctic 2009

  • These results demonstrate that most guillemot colonies perform best when temperatures are approximately stable, suggesting that each colony is adapted to local conditions [37].

    Effects of climate change on the biodiversity of the Arctic 2009

  • Other numerous species include the yellowbilled diver Gavia adamsii, whooper swan Cygnus cygnus, lesser whitefronted goose Anser erythropus, slatybacked gull Larus Schistisagus, Kamchatka tern Sterna camtschatica, guillemot Uria aalge, thickbilled guillemot Uria lomvia, pigeon guillemot Cepphus columbs, ancient murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus, horned puffin Fratercula Corniculata and tufted puffin Lunda cirrhata.

    Volcanoes of Kamchatka, Russian Federation 2008

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