auk, in general, any of the 22 species (21 living) of diving birds of the family Alcidae (order Charadriiformes) but especially 3 species—the great auk (Pinguinus impennis), extinct since 1844; the little auk, or dovekie (Plautus alle); and the razorbill, or razor-billed auk (Alca torda).
Birds of the auk family, often called alcids, range in length from about 15 to 40 cm (6 to 16 inches), though the great auk was about 75 cm (30 inches) long. They have short wings and legs and webbed feet. Limited in distribution to Arctic, subarctic, and north temperate regions (with a few species south to Baja California), they nest colonially on ledges of cliffs and in rock crevices or burrows adjacent to the sea, and many spend the stormy winter months far from land. Auks are wholly dependent upon the sea for their food, which consists of fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and plankton. Although great auks could not fly, the living species can.
The true auks are black and white and stand erect on land, as do the penguins of the Antarctic. A related smaller bird is the auklet. See also guillemot; murre; murrelet; puffin.