guillemot

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Any of several auks of the genus Cepphus, having black plumage with white markings.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A bird of the genus Uria of Brisson, or of either of the genera Uria and Lomvia of late authors; a murre. There are several species, of the subfamily Uriinœ and family Alcidœ. The common or foolish guillemot or willock, Lomvia troile, is a bird about 18 inches long, web-footed, 3-toed, blackish above and white below, with short wings and tail, closely resembling the razor-billed auk, Alca torda, except in the form of the bill, which is comparatively long, slender, and acute. It inhabits rocky coasts of the North Atlantic, and congregates in vast numbers to breed, laying a single large pyriform egg on the edges of rocks overhanging the sea. A variety of this species with a white ring round the eye, and a white line behind it, is known as the ringed or spectacled guillemot, and sometimes described as a different species, L. rhingvia. Both have many local names, as willy, spratter, quet, scout, skuttock, skiddaw, kiddaw, tarrock, tinker, lungie or longie, murre, marrot or morrot, lamy or lavy, strany, etc., some of these being shared by the razor-billed auk. (See cut under murre.) The thick-billed or Brünnich's guillemot is Lomvia bruennick' closely resembling the foregoing, but with a stouter bill. Similar guillemots inhabiting the North Pacific are known as ares or arries. The birds of the restricted genus Uria are smaller and otherwise distinct; they are in summer blackish, with usually a white patch on the wing, and with red legs. Such are the black guillemot or sea-pigeon, U. grylle, of the North Atlantic, and sundry North Pacific representatives of the same, as U. columba and U. carbo.

Wiktionary

1. n. 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.

GNU Webster's 1913

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

WordNet 3.0

1. n. small black or brown speckled auks of northern seas