little auk

American  

[lit-l awk] / ˈlɪt l ˈɔk /

noun

1. a small black-and-white auk, Alle alle, of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, having a very short beak and a short, rounded tail: an important winter food source among the Inuit.

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Etymology

Origin of little auk

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

little auk

"The little auk, also known as the dovekie, emerges as a sentinel species in monitoring Arctic environmental shifts," says Dr. Anders Mosbech, co-author from Aarhus University.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 15, 2024

In the remote wilderness of Northwest Greenland, the research team employed passive acoustic and imaging technologies to uncover the hidden rhythms of little auk colonies.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 15, 2024

Looking somewhat like a dove-sized penguin, the little auk is helpless on land.

From Time Magazine Archive

An Awkward Name.—'Arry, on a marine excursion, hearing mention made of the two sea-birds the great auk and the little auk, inquired if the little auk was a sparrow-'awk.

From Mr. Punch's Cockney Humour by Various

All the birds seemed to have disappeared to-day; not even a cheery little auk to be seen.

From Farthest North Being the Record of a Voyage of Exploration of the Ship 'Fram' 1893-1896 by Nansen, Fridtjof