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

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

"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

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

Dovekie, duv′ki, n. the little auk, a diving bird of the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various